Australian Open: Nick Kyrgios show continues – met a fan, gave away rackets, won doubles
Nick Kyrgios continues to cause a stir in the doubles competition. He is now in the semi-finals with partner Thanasi Kokkinakis - and he generously made up for an unfortunate action.
by Florian Goosmann
last edit: Jan 25, 2022, 08:06 am
Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis have reached the semifinals at the Australian Open in the doubles competition.
The two Australians, only with one wild card in the field, beat the six seeded doubles Tim Pütz/Michael Venus 7:5, 3:6 and 6:3 and thus have realistic chances of grabbing the title.
By round two, the crowd favorites had already taken out top seeded Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic, leading to a threat of a beating in the locker room . And this time, too, it was not without a minor scandal.
Kyrgios meets a child in the audience
Because Nick Kyrgios caused a moment of shock at the beginning of the first set. Kokkinakis had touched the net with his first serve, and Kyrgios smashed the loosely returned (and not in play) return with full force onto the other side. Without bad intentions and into the field - the rebound, however, flew into the audience and hit a child. Kyrgios quickly realized his mishap and apologized. Then he thought for a moment - grabbed a bat and passed it on. Much to the delight of the victim.
The Kyrgios/Kokkinakis double show continues: In the semi-finals, the two meet Marcel Granollers/Horacio Zeballos, the third seeded duo. Two more victories - and the Australian tennis fans would probably go completely nuts.
Kyrgios: "Wants to win this thing"
"We're not done yet, I want to win the damn thing," Kyrgios announced after reaching the semifinals. Once again, both had played in the John Cain Arena, which again resembled a madhouse. "I hope Craig watches and lets us keep playing on the pitch here," Kokkinakis indirectly addressed tournament director Craig Tiley.
Kyrgios seems convinced of his double appearances anyway: "We're taking the game to a new level. And not just in doubles," he joked (only half) these days. After the surprise win over the top seeded Mektic and Pavic, the TV quota went up by 45 percent. It's good for the sport, says Kyrgios, "we need it."
So the sequel follows.
laver arena