Nick Kyrgios has defied the waft of cannabis, a stubborn opponent and non-conforming box to safely progress to the US Open third round at Flushing Meadows.
It was hardly a smoking performance but Kyrgios did enough to see off Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 4-6 6-4 and join Australian No.1 Alex de Minaur in the last 32.
It was anything but straightforward, with Kyrgios needing 30 aces and “some really risky tennis” late in the fourth set to prevail.
Ben Simmons was a guest in the house as NBA lover Kyrgios engaged in what has become a customary verbal battle with his entourage, demanding they “go home” at one point.
The combustible Canberran accused his support network “for some sick reason” of falling asleep late in the third set, demanding they be more vocal.
He also spat on the court in frustration and received a code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct in a tense affair against a rising talent who may have caught the Wimbledon finalist off guard.
Kyrgios was agitated throughout, but rarely more so than midway through the second set when he pleaded with the chair umpire to do something about apparent pot-smoking spectators.
Marjiuana was legalised in New York last September but Kyrgios made it clear it wasn’t welcome at the Open.
“Obviously when athletes are running side to side and they have asthma already, it’s obviously not ideal,” he moaned to the courtside official who wasn’t immediately clear what Kyrgios was talking about.
(Photo by Diego Souto/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)
“Obviously I’m not going to complain about food smell. It was f***ing marijuana.”
Spanish umpire Jaume Campistol asked fans “as a courtesy to the players, please refrain from smoking around the court.”
Kyrgios duly fired up to grab the lone break of the second set in the 10th game to seemingly seize control.
But he threatened to completely unravel after losing the third set and falling a break behind in the fourth.
The world No.23 knuckled back down, though, to win four of the next five games to take the match in a tick under three hours.
He next plays American wildcard J.J. Wolf on Friday (Saturday AEST) for a spot in the second week in New York for the first time.
“It has been a really stressful time. Me and my team have high expectations to go deep this week and I am just glad I got through,” Kyrgios said, adding that being a grand slam finalist was only adding to the pressure.
(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
“Every tournament I play I am expecting to play amazing tennis.
“Compared to last year, I feel like I am playing some of the best tennis in my life and that is down to a lot of things, but I am happy.”
De Minaur earlier avenged a gut-wrenching five-set Wimbledon loss to Cristian Garin with a 6-3 6-0 4-6 6-2 defeat of the Chilean, while Jason Kubler completed a rain-interrupted 5-7 6-4 6-4 6-4 first-round victory over Swede Mikael Ymer.
But Jordan Thompson bowed out with a 6-3 2-6 3-6 6-4 6-3 second-round loss to Colombian qualifier Daniel Elahl Galan.
Australian women’s No.1 Ajla Tomljanovic was also playing Russian Evgeniya Rodina on Wednesday for the right to take on either world No.2 Anett Kontaveit or retiring legend Serena Williams in the last 32.
© AAP
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