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Nick Kyrgios wins in straight sets to advance at US Open

Nick Kyrgios takes on John Isner in the Davis Cup. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
31st August, 2016
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Nick Kyrgios says he fears no one after letting his racquet do the talking to storm into the second round of the US Open in New York.

A day after pointing out tennis players are allowed to smoke marijuana on tour in a wacky Q & A with his Twitter followers, the colourful tennis star smoked Aljaz Bedene in straight sets at Flushing Meadows.

Kyrgios overcame a troublesome hip and an early confrontation with the chair umpire to blast past the Brit 6-4 6-4 6-4 in less than two hours on Tuesday night.

The 14th seed’s routine win came after officials said he wouldn’t be sanctioned for his latest headline-grabbing moment on the eve of the season’s final grand slam event.

Kyrgios offered up a simple “yep” when asked by one of his Twitter followers: “are you allowed to smoke weed on tour?”

And he is correct, with a WADA spokesman confirming that while marijuana “is a prohibited substance for in-competition testing, it has never been prohibited out-of-competition.”

In effect, that means players are okay to smoke marijuana while not competing at tournaments.

During the same snap, two-minute Q & A, Kyrgios also teased fans that he’d walk away from tennis – at just 21 – if he won the title on Sunday week.

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“If I won the US open now u (sic) would never see me again,” he said.

Kyrgios is now six wins away after backing up his banter with an impressive opening to his campaign.

The two-time grand slam quarter-finalist fired down 14 aces and thumped 43 winners in booking a second-round date on Thursday with Argentine Horacio Zeballos.

“I’m really pleased with that one. He’s a good competitor. He makes a lot of balls. He’s not going to give it to you,” Kyrgios said.

“I was nursing a little bit of an injury, and how I responded was really well.”

His victory wasn’t completely incident-free, though, with Kyrgios receiving a code violation in the first game of the match for aggressively hitting a ball, after a rally that the umpire deemed came dangerously close to a linesman.

“You’re giving me a code violation for hitting the ball too hard. I’ve heard it all now,” Kyrgios said.

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Unlike last year, when he drew Andy Murray in the first round, Kyrgios can’t possibly meet his grand slam nemesis until the quarter-finals.

“My head space last year wasn’t the greatest,” he said.

“I was obviously going through a lot of stuff last year through that whole Montreal (sledging) thing.

“I’m seeded 14 here, so I won’t meet Murray until I’m a hell of a lot further through the draw.

“I feel comfortable in general on the tennis court. I feel more comfortable in my game against whoever I play.

“I know what I can do on the tennis court. I have beaten quality players. I’m not afraid of these guys, but I’m aware they all can play some really good tennis.”

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