The controversial Australian tennis pro Nick Kyrgios has reached the quarterfinals of the grass classic in Wimbledon. In another emotional rollercoaster ride, the 27-year-old defeated the American Brandon Nakashima 4: 6, 6: 4, 7: 6 (7: 2), 3: 6, 6: 2.
At times, Kyrgios complained about shoulder problems and, after brilliant moments, also allowed himself phases of weakness. “I’ll definitely need a glass of wine tonight,” said Kyrgios, relieved about his second quarter-finals in Wimbledon after the premiere in 2014.
His third-round duel won with world number five Stefanos Tsitsipas from Greece caused a stir because both players had been warned for offenses and blamed each other afterwards. Kyrgios has been criticized for wildly insulting the referees, but is also very popular with large parts of the audience. He currently tops the rankings for fines at this tournament.
Kyrgios now meets the Chilean Cristian Garin, who defeated the Australian Alex de Minaur 2: 6, 5: 7, 7: 6 (7: 3), 6: 4, 7: 6 ( 10:6) prevailed. For Garin it is the first Grand Slam quarterfinals of his career.
American seeded number 11 Taylor Fritz also reached the top eight for the first time. The 24-year-old gave the Australian qualifier Jason Kubler no chance with 6: 3, 6: 1, 6: 4. Fritz has not yet given a sentence and is now dealing with co-favorite Rafael Nadal from Spain or Botic van de Zandschulp from the Netherlands.