Nick Kyrgios beat de Minaur at the Canadian Masters; Auger-Aliassime, Ruud set up quarterfinal clash
Australian Nick Kyrgios put on another phenomenal performance to beat compatriot Alex de Minaur 6-2, 6-3 at the Canadian Masters on Thursday, a day after beating the No. world Daniil Medvedev.
The fiery Wimbledon finalist has played the best tennis of his career and shows no signs of slowing down in Montreal, where he won the first four matches of the opening set, of which de Minaur won just over half of the points serve one. .
The pair trade breaks to open the second set but 27-year-old Kyrgios will not be denied, breaking de Minaur on the third attempt in the third game and again in the seventh.
Kyrgios briefly appeared agitated as he broke off in the penultimate game but regained his composure to finish the job in over an hour, returning to love in the final game.
The win would put Kyrgios high enough in the standings to be seeded at the US Open later this month.
Kyrgios on a quest to remove the ‘wasted talent’ tag
“I am doing this for a lot of people. (I) want to prove to myself that I can still play great tennis. I’m doing it for a lot of people just so I can have some peace and quiet, I can really rest at night. I feel like compared to other players I have to deal with a lot of crap, negativity, bad media, bad news articles, this, that, wasted talent, whatever. So I feel like when it’s all said and done, if I keep playing like this for a bit, proving everyone wrong, I can just relax a bit. Like, having a beer at a pub, don’t be bothered about it.”
‘Inspire millions to feel comfortable in their own skin’
“You guys drew me into this horrible person for five years. But now I feel like it’s washed away. The real color has arrived. Hopefully I’m inspiring millions of people to just go on with their lives, their sport or their career as they want and feel comfortable in their own skin. ”
‘Tennis players must be selfish’
“When they (the fans) crossed that line, that’s when I started to realize – that’s when I’ll probably rephrase a little bit. You can’t be a super nice guy, a generous guy all the time on the field, otherwise I’ll be terrible at the game. Tennis players must be selfish. You have to walk around like you’re the best player in the world. You have to have that mentality.”
“I did what I had to do. He’s a hell of a player if you play to his strengths, he’s one of the best from behind in the game, he’s too fast,” Kyrgios said of de Minaur in comments on the pitch after the game.
Kyrgios had won 15 of his last 16 and a day earlier produced a superb serve and volley that stunned Medvedev with a score of 6-7 (2), 6-4, 6-2. The effort has certainly come at a cost, he said.
“Extremely difficult, after yesterday Daniil was playing tall. The crowd was amazing, it was a day I will probably never forget,” he said.
“Today was really difficult for me mentally playing Alex, we are good friends and he has had such a good career so far carrying the Australian flag. It’s tough mentally, it’s never easy to play a friend like that, especially if they’re Australian. “
Kyrgios next faces Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz, to whom he lost to Halle in June, in the quarterfinals.
While praising Hurkacz as a great player, Kyrgios said he feels his opponents are a bit nervous seeing his form.
“I have to use that to my advantage.”
Amazing Auger-Aliassime
In other games, Felix Auger-Aliassime exploited his mighty serve to beat Briton Cameron Norrie 6-3, 6-4 to delight the home crowd, while Norwegian Casper Ruud edged Roberto. Bautista Agut in three tight sets.
Competing in his local town of Montreal, 22-year-old Auger-Aliassime sent more than 15 aces and won all but his first three serves, breaking in the penultimate game of all. two sets on the Center Court.
British number one Norrie made five double errors and was never motivated against a clinical Auger-Aliassime, who won his first ATP title in Rotterdam this year and finished the match today. Thursday for 72 short minutes.
“The people of Montreal are really proud people,” Auger-Aliassime is quoted by the ATP as saying, noting the crowd’s help with his performance.
“We are a small community in the world. We support each other in what we do, especially in professional sports. “
The next US Open semi-finalist will face Norway’s Casper Ruud in the quarterfinals after the world number seven saw off Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut 6-7 (4), 7-6 ( 4), 6-4.
