NEW YORK: Unsure of the relevant rule, Nick Kyrgios lost a point by running around the net to hit a ball that was going to land way out. He yelled at his guest box. He argued with the chair umpire. Most importantly, and has happened more recently for him than ever, Kyrgios won, eliminating defending US Open champion and No. 1-ranked Daniil Medvevev.
Building on the momentum he built by reaching the Wimbledon final, Kyrgios moved into the quarterfinals at Flushing Meadows for the first time by beating Medvedev 7-6 (11), 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 on Sunday night.
The 23rd-seeded Kyrgios, a 27-year-old from Australia, never had managed to make it past the third round of the US Open until now, going 0-4 at that stage until this year. But Kyrgios also never has managed to parlay his unquestioned skill into terrific play or any semblance of consistency the way is doing lately.
“I’m just glad I’m finally able to show New York my talent,” he said. “I haven’t had too many great trips here.”
He reached his first Grand Slam semifinal, then first Grand Slam final, at the All England Club in July, before losing to Novak Djokovic in the title match. Then Kyrgios won his first ATP title in three years at Washington in August. He followed that up with a victory over Medvedev at a hard-court tournament in Montreal soon after. He leads the ATP Tour in match wins since June.
And now, with his big serve producing 21 aces Sunday, and his go-for-broke style working perfectly against Medvedev, Kyrgios must be considered a serious championship contender at the US Open.
Medvedev, meanwhile, was playing well enough to win all nine sets he played in Week 1 and look ready to give himself a shot at becoming the first man to win consecutive trophies in New York since Roger Federer grabbed the last of his five in a row from 2004-08.
Instead, Medvedev — whose victory over Djokovic in the 2021 US Open final ended his bid for the first calendar-year Grand Slam in men’s tennis since 1969 — will relinquish the No. 1 ranking. Three players have a chance to replace him there: Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz and Casper Ruud.
On Tuesday, Kyrgios will meet No. 27 seed Karen Khachanov for a spot in the semifinals.
Kyrgios confused on rule, beats 2021 US Open champ Medvedev
https://arab.news/ca79w
Kyrgios confused on rule, beats 2021 US Open champ Medvedev
- Kyrgios will meet No. 27 seed Karen Khachanov for a spot in the semifinals on Tuesday.
- Medvedev will relinquish the No. 1 ranking. Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz and Casper Ruud have a chance to replace him there
Al-Hilal win tightens Saudi Pro League title race
- The 3-2 victory over Al-Khaleej leaves Al-Hilal a single point behind Riyadh rivals Al-Nassr, who play on Saturday
DUBAI: The gap at the top of the Saudi Pro League table was cut to just one point on Friday night, following Al-Hilal’s 3-2 win over Al-Khaleej.
Simone Inzaghi’s team leapfrogged Al-Taawoun into second place to remain the closest challengers to Al-Nassr in the title fight, with the leaders set to host Al-Okhdood on Saturday.
Al-Hilal opened the scoring on 18 minutes when Mohammed Kanno met Hamad Al-Yami’s lay-off on the edge of the penalty area, his long-range shot beating Al-Khaleej goalkeeper Anthony Moris at his left-hand post.
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic doubled the lead on 39 from Malcom’s assist to leave the visitors with a mountain to climb in the second half. Al-Hilal looked to have secured all three points comfortably when Malcom made it 3-0 on 57 minutes, but Al-Khaleej had other ideas.
Joshua King’s goal on 79 minutes looked to be nothing more than a consolation, but five minutes later Al-Hilal were left sweating after Giorgos Masouras cut their lead to a single goal. The visitors’ revival was short-lived, however, with no more additions to the score.
The defeat leaves Al-Khaleej in eighth place, with three matches still to be played on Saturday.
Earlier on Friday, Al-Taawoun briefly climbed to second place in the table after an away win against Al-Kholood at Al-Hazem Stadium. Their goals came from Christopher Zambrano after 22 minutes and a William Troost-Ekong’s own goal in the 75th; Al-Taawoun ended the match with 10 men after Muteb Al-Mufarrij was sent off in stoppage time, but the three points were already secured.
Al-Hilal’s win later in the day meant Al-Taawoun dropped to third, while Al-Kholood sit in 12th.
The first match of the day saw Al-Fateh shock reigning Asian champions Al-Ahli with a 2-1 win, after falling behind at home to Valentin Atangana’s 22nd-minute goal. However, the home team turned the match around with two goals from Maria Vargas either side of half time.
The win saw Al-Fateh rise to 14th while Al-Ahli stayed in fourth.
