It might have been the most Nick Kyrgios match ever played.
There were racquet hurls, furious rants and one of the most extraordinary brain fades of even the Australian’s turbulent career; but in between, Kyrgios played some of his most spellbinding tennis to take down top seed and reigning US Open champion Daniil Medvedev in four sets.
Having reached his maiden grand slam final at Wimbledon just months ago, the 7-6 (13), 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 win over the world number one might be Kyrgios’ finest of an already career-best 2022 season.
He is now surging towards a second chance at a first major title – and this time, there’s no Novak Djokovic standing in his way.
The victory came in spite of a bizarre moment in the third set, which left Kyrgios bemused and onlookers shaking their heads.
At 1-0, 30-30 with Medvedev serving, the Russian could only parry a Kyrgios forehand straight up in the air.
All Kyrgios needed to do to bring up a break point was wait for the ball to bounce: instead, he chose to sprint to Medevedev’s side of the net and smash it away into open court.
To Kyrgios’ surprise, it was deemed a ‘foul shot’, as it is illegal for a player to hit the ball on their opponent’s side of the net.
Kyrgios himself, who admitted to courtside commentator Patrick McEnroe that he ‘thought it was legal’, described the play as ‘boneheaded’ after the match.
The moment quickly went viral on social media, with tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg summing up the mood by describing the moment as ‘the dumbest way to lose a point I’ve ever seen’.
“I still can’t believe the boneheaded play I made over here,” Kyrgios laughed in his on-court interview with McEnroe.
“I thought that was legal, to be honest. That’s going to be everywhere on [ESPN] SportsCenter, so I’m going to look like an idiot!”
Former Australian tennis great Todd Woodbridge was aghast on Channel Nine’s coverage.
“What an error in judgment!” Woodbridge cried.
“That should have been break point… I’ve never seen anything like that in all my time in tennis. That is crazy.”
The point was a rare blunder in a dominant performance from Kyrgios, who out-hit, out-thought and outplayed Medvedev throughout his latest compelling victory.
After squandering an early break in the first set as the reigning champion forced a tie-break, the Aussie needed to dig deep in a memorable 24-point breaker to take a 1-0 lead.
In dramatic scenes, the Aussie would fling his racquet in frustration after losing a crucial point, while repeatedly berating his players’ box for a supposed lack of support.
“I said, tell me where to f—ing serve!” he yelled.
Nick Kyrgios of Australia reacts against Daniil Medvedev at the US Open. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
Eventually, with his fourth set point, Kyrgios found a way past the Russian, with a combination of drop shots and powerful forehands eventually cracking Medvedev’s normally watertight defence.
Kyrgios’ levels noticeably dropped off in the second set, with Medvedev breaking twice for a 5-1 lead and then closing the set out 6-3, before the Aussie’s epic brain fade occurred early in the third.
However, it would prove a turning point in the game, with Kyrgios quickly tightening the screws despite squandering the break point chance.
With Medvedev beginning to strain under the weight of Kyrgios’ powerful hitting, the 23rd seed broke for a 3-1 lead, then calmly held his nerve despite an unsuccessful underarm serve to close it out 6-3.
“That mistake he made, that usually would have rattled him but now he is playing better,” commentator and former player Jelena Dokic said on Nine’s coverage.
Finishing the match in style with an ace, the Aussie’s stone-faced reaction belied the significance of the win – his second over Medvedev in under a month following his victory over the world No.1 at the Canadian Open.
“I’ve been playing amazing the last couple of months,” Kyrgios said.
“I’m just trying to work hard every day, trying to make every practice session count, getting to sleep – I would probably be up every night before.
“Now I’ve got a great girlfriend, she helps me, she – she – you know.
“We’ve been on the road now for four months, we’ve all got families that we want to see. I want to make it count. This is the last trip before I head back to Australia.
“I want to go all the way, so hopefully it’s possible.”
Kyrgios’ performance was met with acclaim, with Woodbridge describing it as the Aussie’s finest ever performance.
“I rate that as the best match I’ve seen Nick Kyrgios play in a grand slam tournament,” Woodbridge remarked on Nine.
“That was a performance for the ages.”
He wasn’t the only one in awe, with tennis journalist José Morgado describing Kyrgios as ‘almost unplayable’.
Kyrgios’ victory means Medvedev will lose the world No.1 ranking at the conclusion of the tournament, with Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz and Caspar Ruud all still in the reckoning.
The Australian will next face another Russian in Karen Khachanov for his first US Open semi-final berth.
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