KYRGIOS MARCHES ON DESPITE WOBBLES
ENIGMATIC Nick Kyrgios yesterday admitted he let the first set slip as “strategy’’ before successfully wrenching back his Brisbane International quarter-final.
Kyrgios likened himself to a boxer putting his “gloves down’’ in the first set, letting it slide away in 22 minutes before stepping up his effort to subdue Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 and become a second Australian into the Pat Rafter Arena semi-finals.
“That’s just me, very unpredictable. But if a boxer puts his gloves down in the boxing ring, I wouldn’t really call it tanking,’’ said Kyrgios, who is one win away from his first ATP final in Australia.
“It’s just a strategy and it worked again today.
“I always knew I’d come through. As bad as it is to say, I can kind of turn it on like a tap.’’
Kyrgios coughed up 18 unforced errors to five by his opponent in the first set, having a first-serve accuracy of only 44 per cent and serving consecutive double-faults when he dropped serve to go behind 1-5.
Australia’s world No.17 located the “tap’’ handle in the second set, putting 70 per cent of first serves into play against Dolgopolov, ranked No.38, and 72 per cent in the third.
“The only positive about losing the first set is I’m putting myself in pressure situations and getting some court time,’’ Kyrgios said.
“He (Dolgopolov) is a nightmare.”