Stefanos Tsitsipas only needed four words to sum up Nick Kyrgios ’most important problem, as the Australian told everyone how important it is.
The fourth seed, Stefanos Tsitsipas, hosted a great Wimbledon third-round showdown against Nick Kyrgios, and rode his next opponent after sealing his last victory.
Tsitsipas defeated Australian Jordan Thompson 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 and advanced for the second time to the 32nd final at the All England Club.
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Earlier, Kyrgios got an impressive 6-2, 6-3 and 6-1 victory over the Serb, 26th seed, Filip Krajinovic, to make the final 32 in London for the sixth time.
Kyrgios leads the Tsitsipas 3-1 in their face-to-face record, including a turf victory at Halle earlier this month.
In his interview on the track, Tsitsipas ended up with a cheeky four-word sleigh for Kyrgios, who said he fights “whenever he wants.”
“I feel like everyone knows who Nick is,” Tsitsipas said. “We have played many fantastic matches between us.
“Respect for his game and his way of fighting … whenever he wants.”
Tsitsipas pulled his tongue out of his cheek when he answered more questions about Kyrgios at his post-match press conference.
“Nick has more games than me on this court. He says he likes the grass and I think his game is good for the turf,” Tsitsipas said.
“I’m definitely excited to face him. I have a lot of respect for him on the court, what he’s trying to do, even though he’s been a bit controversial.
“I think he’s playing good tennis. I’ll focus on doing my own thing and paying attention to my own game from start to finish.
“I hope to be able to stay there and do something fantastic, have a great competitive game against him.”
Tsitsipas’ comments came when Kyrgios launched an attack on the media for “disrespecting” him after his victory over Krajinovic, declaring that he is “one of the most important people in the sport”.
“I didn’t want to remind people that I’m good; I know I’m fine, ”Kyrgios said.
“I feel like people don’t give me respect sometimes for other things I do.”
Still, Swiatek continues the march
In other matches, Rafael Nadal was once again forced to dig deep to reach the third round of Wimbledon, as female series leader Iga Swiatek survived a stumble to win her 37th match on the tour. .
Nadal, Spain’s second seed, chasing a Grand Slam on the calendar, has recovered from losing the third set for the second game in a row to beat Lithuanian official Ricardas Berankis 6-4, 6-4, 4-6, 6- 3.
Earlier, 17th Spanish seed Roberto Bautista Agut became the third dangerous potential in the middle of the Christmas draw to retire with Covid, following the withdrawals of 2021 runner-up Matteo Berrettini and 2017 finalist Marin Cilic .
Nadal also benefited from a shocking start in the first round of Canadian sixth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, which led him to five sets at the French Open.
Nadal looked comfortable in the first two sets against Berankis, but broke down in his first set game of the third set and was unable to get back on track.
But the Spaniard regrouped and took a 3-0 lead in the fourth set before a heavy downpour forced him to close the roof.
When the game resumed, he got the win, throwing a 13th ace to seal the win. The 22-time Grand Slam champion, who has not played at Wimbledon since reaching the 2019 semifinals, admitted he had to step up his game.
“I didn’t play much on the turf in three years,” he said. “It gives me a chance to continue, so I’m happy about that.
“I need to improve. The fourth set was much better … I have to keep working, be humble, even when things are not going well ”.
Swiatek needed just over two hours to defeat the lucky Dutchwoman Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.
Swiatek had early problems before winning four games in a row to take the first set, but dropped a break in the second and could not recover.
In the end, however, Swiatek took over the decision, breaking the 3-1 and closing out the match.
It surpasses Monica Seles ’36-win streak since 1990 and equals Martina Hingis’ 37-win streak since the start of the 1997 season.
“I would say the grass is pretty complicated for me, I’m not going to lie,” Swiatek said. “I guess you can see that I’m not playing maybe as effectively as on other surfaces.
“Basically, my confidence is improving overall. But this tournament is complicated and I’m still feeling like playing the best game here. “
British wildcard Katie Boulter stunned 2021 finalist Karolina Pliskova by 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 before dedicating her victory to her late grandmother, who died this week.
“I’ll probably get emotional,” he said. “My grandmother died two days ago, so today I would like to dedicate this to her.”
The fourth female seed, Paula Badosa, faced double champion Petra Kvitova after both achieved direct victories.
With AFP
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