Nick Kyrgios faced a chance to crush Daniil Medvedev in the third set of the fourth round at the US Open on Sunday.
Instead, he did this.
After getting a guaranteed point when Medvedev appeared in goal, Kyrgios crossed Medvedev’s side off the field and hit the ball to the ground. Then he pointed in the air and smiled.
why? Only Kyrios knows. But he seemed very pleased with the move.
It was illegal, of course. You cannot hit an opponent’s ball before it crosses the net, even if it has never crossed the net. It ended up costing him the move. Instead of facing the breaking point, Medvedev served in the game leading 40-30. About and tied the group, 1-1.
After a break, ESPN’s Patrick McEnroe reported from the sideline that Kyrgios had told him he thought the play was legal. But he doesn’t seem at all bothered by the penalty. Instead, he continued to complain to Chief Justice Eva Asderaki Moore about her application of the dispatch clock, a struggle that began in the first set.
The good news for Kyrgios is that this point did not cost him. He ended up breaking Medvedev next and went on to win the set, 6-3 to take a 2-1 lead in the match en route to Win 7-6 (13-11), 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 To amaze the number 1 player in the world and qualify for the quarter-final match with Russia’s Karen Khachanov.
Just Nick Kyrgios.
“Student. Incurable problem solver. Amateur baconaholic. Introvert. Infuriatingly humble music fanatic.”