Kyrgios packs off Djoko
Acapulco (Mexico), March 3: Australian bad boy Nick Kyrgios steamrollered Novak Djokovic in straight sets at the Mexico Open, dealing a major blow to the world number two’s hopes of regaining his mantle of invincibility.
The 21-year-old Kyrgios overpowered Djokovic with 25 aces in the 7-6 (119), 7-5 triumph as the Serb sought to rebuild confidence after his shattering second round defeat at the Australian Open in January.
The world no. 17 Kyrgios delivered another giant killer performance as he also beat Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in their first ATP tour level meetings.
He is the youngest player to record victories over the tennis Big Five — Djokovic, Federer, Nadal, Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka — and is now 1117 against top ten players.
Kyrgios will be seeking to reach his first final of the season when he faces big-serving American Sam Querrey in the semis.
Nadal bounced back from a break down in both sets to defeat Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka 7-6 (7/2), 6-3 and book his semi-final spot.
World No. 6 Nadal also kept his Acapulco unbeaten streak alive, having won 13 straight matches, and moved to 26-0 in sets in the ATP Tour event.
Nadal advanced to a semi-final meeting with Marin Cilic.
Third-seeded Cilic reached the semi-finals without hitting a ball as American Steve Johnson withdrew.
Unseeded Querrey eliminated fourth-seeded Dominic Thiem of Austria 6-1, 7-5 in their quarter-final match.
Murray survives Kohlschreiber scare Dubai: Andy Murray saved seven match points to reach the semi-finals of the Dubai Championships with a marathon 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (20/18), 6-1 win over Germany’s Philipp Kohlschreiber on Thursday.
World number one Murray needed to scrap and struggle for almost three hours against 33year-old Kohlschreiber, with the pair duelling in a 31-minute second set tiebreaker which determined the final direction of the epic quarter-final.
The Scot held off Kohlschreiber’s match points but still needed eight set points to take the contest into a decisive final set.
Murray will next meet French seventh seed Lucas Pouille who defeated Russian qualifier Evgeny Donskoy — the man who stunned Federer — 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (7/2).
In the bottom half of the draw, fourth seed Gael Monfils fired 10 aces but still crashed out 6-3, 7-5 to Fernando Verdasco.
Spain’s Verdasco will play his second semi-final of the season on Friday, facing Dutchman Robin Haase, a 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 winner over Bosnian Damir Dzumhur.
Bops-Matkowski reach finals Rohan Bopanna and his Polish partner Marcin Matkowski reached the men’s doubles finals after beating Leander Paes and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in three sets in the Dubai Championships on Friday.
The unseeded Indo-Polish pair knocked out the Indo-Spanish combination 6-3, 3-6, 10-6.