Coric Out-Serves Kyrgios, Ends Aussie's Return Tournament
Borna Coric spoiled Nick Kyrgios’ return tournament on Friday at the Murray River Open.
The Croatian was too solid for the Aussie, defeating the 13th seed 6-3, 6-4 in 65 minutes to reach the quarter-finals. This was Kyrgios’ first event since Acapulco last February.
Coric dominated on his own serve, winning 82 per cent of his service points to take a 3-2 lead in the pair’s ATP Head2Head series. The fourth seed hit more aces than one of the biggest servers on the ATP Tour by an 11-9 margin, and he did not face a break point.
[WATCH LIVE 3]The World No. 25 will next play eighth seed Daniel Evans or American Marcos Giron. Coric is pursuing his first title since 2018 Halle and his third tour-level trophy overall.
Kyrgios beat Alexandre Muller and Harry Bourchier to reach the third round at his first event in more than 11 months.
“The conditions were so tough for me. I was struggling to find any rhythm. I served bad. I don’t expect anything less from him,” Kyrgios said of Coric. “He’s a great player. That’s why he’s an unbelievable player, he brings that consistency every day.”
Frenchman Jeremy Chardy also advanced just before the rain began falling at Melbourne Park. The World No. 66 defeated sixth seed Taylor Fritz 6-2, 6-4 in 67 minutes. The American had won their only previous clash at 2016 Acapulco.
Chardy will play top seed Stan Wawrinka or home favourite Alex Bolt for a spot in the semi-finals. All third-round winners are scheduled to play their quarter-final later in the day on Friday, but heavy rain could force a late finish to get all the matches in.