Furious Nick Kyrgios smashes TWO racquets after US Open loss to Karen Khachanov, hurls bottle to the ground
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Updated 07/09/2022 at 08:15 GMT
It was another fiery display from Nick Kyrgios, but this time without the eventual victory he has been growing accustomed to, as he lost out to Karen Khachanov in their US Open quarter-final. The Australian, who has been in electric form for most of the summer, could not produce his best tennis on a night that proved to be highly frustrating for him. He let out his anger at various stages.
Highlights: Khachanov defeats Kyrgios, Garcia battles past Gauff into semi-finals
Nick Kyrgios was left angry and exasperated both during and after his surprise defeat to Karen Khachanov in the quarter-finals of the US Open.
The 27-year-old suffered an unexpected 7-5 4-6 7-5 6-7(3) 6-4 loss in the night session inside Arthur Ashe Stadium and was infuriated at not being able to find his top level during the topsy-turvy match at Flushing Meadows.
Kyrgios, who had been tipped by many to go all the way in New York after a very impressive few months on the ATP Tour and having reached the final at Wimbledon, could not match Khachanov's intensity when it really mattered in the final set.
The Australian expressed his frustration - and at times anger - in typically explosive fashion at various points in the match.
At one stage during a changeover, Kyrgios hurled a bottle to the ground as the cap flew off and liquid spilt onto the court in front of him. Ball kids had to step in and clear up the mess before the match resumed.
Then later when Khachanov secured the impressive victory, his opponent responded by smashing two racquets in anger at the result and his own performance.
While Kyrgios, who has been open about feeling homesick, initially seemed to be composed as he shook hands with Khachanov and the umpire, he suddenly turned back to the court and hurled his racquet to the ground.
He then proceeded to take a second racquet from his bag and destroy it in a similar fashion.
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Highlights: Ruud defeats Berrettini, Jabeur storms into semi-finals
"Yeah, I just came out flat," Kyrgios admitted in his post-match press conference. "Physically, I didn't feel great. Then I ended up feeling great towards the end of the match.
"I'm obviously devastated, but all credit to Karen. He's a fighter. He's a warrior. I thought he served really good today. Honestly, probably the best server I played in this tournament, to be honest, the way he was hitting his spots under pressure.
"He just played the big points well, really wasn't anything in it. I'm just devastated, obviously. I just feel like it was either winning it all or nothing at all, to be honest. I feel like I've just failed at this event right now. That's what it feels like.
"Honestly, I don't even really care about any other tournament. I feel like at the Grand Slams, now having success at a Grand Slam, it's just like no other tournament really matters.
"It's like you get better, you get worse, then at a Grand Slam none of it matters. You either win or lose. People don't really care if you got better on the day or you lost in the fifth or played one of the best matches of the tournament. You lost, so...
"I honestly feel like s***. I feel like I've let so many people down. I just don't know. I feel like I'm playing Tokyo and stuff. But I feel like these four tournaments are the only ones that are ever going to matter. It's just like you have got to start it all again. I have to wait till the Australian Open.
"It's just devastating. Like, it's heartbreaking. Not just for me, but for everyone that I know that wants me to win. That's all people remember at a Grand Slam, whether you win or you lose. I think pretty much every other tournament during the year is a waste of time, really. You should just run up and show up at a Grand Slam. That's what you're remembered by."
Khachanov, who was clearly surprised and delighted at the result, was left to reflect on a job well-done in his media duties.
"I did it! I did it!," Khachanov said in his post-match interview. "It was a crazy match but I came ready to fight and to play five sets.
"I was expecting it would be like this. I was ready to run, to fight, to play five sets. We played for almost four hours [three hours and 39 minutes]. That’s the only way to beat Nick, I think.
“I had some opportunities in the fourth set. He played an amazing tie-break. What can I do? I had to stay focused and try to win the next set. I’m really proud of myself. I was really focused from the beginning to the end, and I got the win.”
The 26-year-old will next take on fifth seed Casper Ruud, who earlier in the evening defeated 13th seed Matteo Berrettini, 6-1 6-4 7-6(4).
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