Nick Kyrgios has stunned the tennis community cruising past world number one Rafael Nadal in four sets to progress to the quarter-finals at Wimbledon.
As a 19-year-old wildcard entry, Kyrgios arrived at Wimbledon ranked outside the top-100 and had nothing to lose.
While moving through the tournament he has captured the attention of sports fans across the world, not just for his captivating work with racquet in hand, but also his down-to-earth character and contagious positivity.
Kyrgios rocketed into focus with a stunning come from behind victory over Richard Gasquet in the second round. After dropping the first two sets of that match, Kyrgios rallied to claim the fifth set 10 games to eight.
The “never say die” attitude he displayed in that match, and throughout the entire tournament so far, typifies the culture Australians love to see in their sporting representatives.
WATCH HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE KYRGIOS VS NADAL MATCH HERE
#Kyrgios stunned #Nadal & the tennis universe on Day 8 at #Wimbledon. Match report http://t.co/QNFHrUdlqk #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/pamaHYcOpf
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 2, 2014
Beating the world number one at a Grand Slam event is also something no player ranked outside the top-100 has managed for 22 years.
Along the way, Kyrgios provided fans with one of the shots of the tournament – a between the legs return that beat his opponent for both pace and placement.
Following the match, Kyrgios expressed himself very simply on Twitter – the kind of playful reaction that is earning him praise and fans from all across Australia:
Erm, ok then………..
— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) July 1, 2014
Whether his incredible run continues, or he is sent home in straight sets next match, this Wimbledon underdog will remain at the forefront of peoples minds for the foreseeable future, and it is safe to assume that enthusiastic fans will not be hard to come by.
Kyrgios fronts up against the big-serving Canadian, Milos Raonic, in the quarter-finals for a place in the final four. Raonic overcame 10th seed Kei Nishikori in four sets to progress to his clash with Kyrgios.
Join The Roar for live scores, coverage and match highlights from the Kyrgios vs Raonic match from 2:00am (AEST) on Thursday morning.
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