Nick Kyrgios has made light work of his American opponent to progress to the last 16 of the US Open.
Key points:
- Nick Kyrgios made light work of JJ Wolf, winning 6-4, 6-2, 6-3
- Alex de Minaur broke his racket after losing his match to a tweener shot
- Kyrgios is the last man to feature in Australia, while Ajla Tomljanovic is alive in the women’s draw.
As Australian tennis fans watched Ajla Tomljanović score a historic victory over retiring legend Serena Williams, Kyrgios took a back seat as he comfortably accounted for JJ Wolf 6-4, 6-2, 6-3.
The win sets up a likely fourth-round showdown with world number one and defending champion Daniil Medvedev.
Hooked on Louis Armstrong at the same time Tomljanović arrived on Arthur Ashe Stadium to face Williams, Kyrgios lost just three sets and less than two hours on court.
The Wimbledon finalist will probably need all the energy for his round of 16 match.
Barring an upset loss to Chinese qualifier Wu Yibling, Kyrgios will face Medvedev in the first heavyweight battle of the Open.
Kyrgios leads the Russian 3-1 head-to-head and beat the top seed just three weeks ago in Montreal.
If anyone can deny Medvedev back-to-back titles at Flushing Meadows, especially in the absence of Novak Djokovic, it’s the mercurial Kyrgios.
A round of 16 clash on Sunday would be worthy of a final, with the referees unhappy to lose either of the two big cards before the quarter-final stage.
De Minaur made by tweener stunner
Alex de Minaur has been sent out of the US Open with a heavy third-round defeat to in-form Spaniard Pablo Carreño Busta.
Carreno Busta overcame an injury scare to complete a 6-1, 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (7-5) victory over the Australian No. 1, with an extraordinary tweener at the opening point.
De Minaur’s best Grand Slam results have consistently come at Flushing Meadows, with the world number 20 reaching the quarter-finals in 2020, the fourth round the year before and the last 32 on two other occasions.
Alex de Minaur returns a shot against Spain’s Pablo Carreño Busta during the US Open. (Getty Images: Sarah Stier)
But Carreno Busta, the tournament’s 12th seed, two-time U.S. Open semifinalist and recent Montreal Masters winner, had too much firepower.
The Spaniard hit 36 winners, broke Minaur five times and dropped serve just once to advance to the fourth round in three hours and 33 minutes.
He blew Minaur off the court in the first two sets before being slowed by an apparent adductor or back problem.
De Minaur threatened a famous fightback after winning the third set and taking the fourth to a tiebreaker.
Carreno Busta had offered him hope when his level clearly dropped, then took a medical timeout after conceding the third set to receive treatment.
The Spaniard also changed his shoes, and his team handed him a new set of orthotics, apparently as support.
The break and change of gear initially seemed to do the trick, with Carreno Busta holding serve to love immediately after the restart.
De Minaur’s confidence grew, however, and the match looked headed for a decisive fifth set before the Spaniard won a remarkable match point.
After a bounce, Carreno Busta looked like he had no hope of getting to the ball, but somehow managed to get a tweener over Minaur’s head.
De Minaur could only manage a frame on the ball before throwing his racket in anguish to lose the match.
The 18th seed’s exit leaves Nick Kyrgios as the last Australian left in the men’s singles draw.
AAP