• Kyrgios wins decisive tie-break 10-8 after losing two-set lead•
Australian hope will face
Rafael Nadal in the fourth roundLimping but inspired, Nick Kyrgios defeated Russia’s 16th seed Karen Khachanov 6-2, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (6), 6-7 (7), 7-6 (10-8) at Melbourne Arena, advancing to the fourth round of the Australian Open. The Australian suffered a left buttock injury in the first set, but was a far bigger pain in the backsides of Khachanov and the umpire, raging his way to a highly anticipated clash with Rafael Nadal.
Not for the first time, Kyrgios turned a straight sets breeze into an unhinged psychodrama. This one even came with an omen. The first Saturday of the tournament being the time when Melburnians pour through the gates in pursuit of fun and invariably find it in the bars that now outnumber courts, and the weather being as hot as the tournament has seen so far, a brawl broke out in the arena before play even commenced. Those who weren’t evicted were treated to a more interesting fight – between techniques, temperaments, and in Kyrgios’s case, layers of internal turmoil. He would later dub it one of his greatest wins.