Nick Kyrgios threw number four seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas out of the Wimbledon tournament in a highly emotional duel with plenty of arguments.
The Australian defeated his former doubles partner from Greece 6: 7 (2: 7), 6: 4, 6: 3, 7: 6 (9: 7) and reached the round of 16 in the grass classic for the first time since 2016. The 22-time Grand Slam tournament winner Rafael Nadal showed his most confident performance of this tournament in a 6: 1, 6: 2, 6: 4 against the Italian Lorenzo Sonego.
The last third round match was marked by plenty of debate. Kyrgios messed with the referees several times, used swear words and mobbed his own team in the stands. After losing the second set, Tsitsipas hit a ball on the stands and just barely hit a spectator. Kyrgios recalled the US Open 2020 when Novak Djokovic was disqualified for hitting a linesman with a ball. Tsitsipas shouldn’t continue either, demanded Kyrgios and lamented for several minutes. The referee only issued a warning.
For the second warning, when Tsitsipas thundered a return to the scoreboard, the Greek had to accept a point loss. The mood became more and more frosty. Tsitsipas aimed several balls directly at his opponent’s body. After a net roll, Kyrgios bowed instead of the usual apology. With a fine stop, the 27-year-old secured victory and celebrated exuberantly. “Whatever happens on the pitch, I love it,” Kyrgios said afterwards. He now meets Brandon Nakashima from the USA.
In the round of the top 16, Nadal will face Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp, whom he had already defeated at the French Open. After the triumphs at the Australian Open and the French Open, the Spaniard still has the chance of his third Grand Slam title of the year.