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Why Nick Kyrgios is the next big thing in Australian tennis

Nick Kyrgios' topsy-turvy career continues to surprise. (AAP Image/Mark Dadswell)
Roar Guru
27th June, 2014
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Forget Bernard Tomic, Nick Kyrgios is the next big thing in Australian tennis.

He may have only just turned 19 and was the youngest man in the main draw of this year’s Wimbledon Championships, but the Canberran has announced his arrival on the big stage.

In one of the best matches of the tournament so far, Kyrgios came from two sets to love down to upset French 13th seed Richard Gasquet.

The end result appeared unlikely after Kyrgios dropped the first set 6-3 in just under half an hour. The Frenchman, a semi-finalist at the All England Club in 2007, then took the second set in a tiebreak to all but have things wrapped up.

But Kyrgios just would not give up, despite the mountainous task he faced. Playing with a nothing-to-lose attitude, the third set remained on serve until the Australian broke in the seventh game to take the third set 6-4.

The fourth set followed a similar pattern to the third, but it was Gasquet who had the advantage of serving in every odd game. At 5-4 up late in the set, but with Kyrgios serving, the Frenchman was at one stage two points away from the match, however the Australian just would not give in.

After holding serve for 5-all, Kyrgios broke for a 6-5 lead and eventually served out the set.

As with the third and fourth sets, the final set remained on serve and the tension started to build as Gasquet and Kyrgios pushed hard until the very end. In the tenth game, Gasquet gained three match points, the first of nine he would hold, but could not convert.

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It proved to be the turning point of the set, and the match, as the Australian later held for 5-all. Every time Gasquet pushed for the victory, Kyrgios would push harder on his serve, using it to save each match point he faced – a whopping nine in total, an Open era record.

At 6-5, Gasquet appeared to have finally won the match off a Kyrgios double-fault, however a challenge from the Australian wound up being successful, with a second serve in by millimetres.

And so it went on and on and on, until at 8-all in the final set, Kyrgios secured the crucial break, which put him in the position of serving for the match – something that appeared unthinkable after the first two sets.

Having successfully defended nine match points on his own serve, the Australian served out to gain three match points – and only needed one, an ace, to send Gasquet crashing out of the tournament in the second round.

It’s the second consecutive year the Frenchman has been sent packing from Wimbledon by an Australian – last year, he went out to Bernard Tomic in the third round in four sets.

For Kyrgios, meanwhile, it somewhat erased the heartache of his second-round exit from this year’s Australian Open, in which he let slip a two-set lead to lose to France’s Benoit Paire after suffering severe cramping late in the match.

Already the likes of Andy Murray and Lleyton Hewitt have praised Kyrgios for his never-say-die attitude, and there will be many more who will jump on the bandwagon as he continues his rise up the rankings.

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The 19-year-old’s breakthrough at Wimbledon adds to a growing list of career highlights, which include winning the 2013 Australian Open junior title (against compatriot Thanasi Kokkinakis) and reaching the second round of last year’s French Open.

So, what’s next for Kyrgios?

The 19-year-old will face fellow wildcard and another former Australian Open junior champion Jiri Vesely in the third round, after the Czech upset 24th seed Gael Monfils in the second round in five sets.

If Kyrgios can back up his victory over Gasquet with another win against Vesely, one of world tennis’ most daunting tasks could await in the fourth round, Rafael Nadal.

It could be the second Grand Slam tournament of the last three in which Nadal could face an Australian who is being touted for big things.

At the Australian Open earlier this year, Nadal defeated Thanasi Kokkinakis in straight sets in the second round. After that match, the Spaniard praised Kokkinakis and spoke of a bright future.

“He has a great future and he has the right level to be on the tour very soon, just keep working and that will happen,” Nadal said.

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The sky is now the limit for Kyrgios, and who knows how far he can go at this year’s Wimbledon Championships?

After the controversies that have dogged Bernard Tomic over the last two years, Australian tennis needed a feel-good story.

It was provided by Nick Kyrgios.

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