Kyrgios Puts On Show, Beats Tsitsipas In Washington

Fifty-one players are ranked higher than Nick Kyrgios in the ATP Rankings, but against the best in the world, there’s no one better than the talented Aussie.

Kyrgios improved to 4-1 against Top 10 players this season on Saturday, saving one match point and beating No. 6 Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(7) to make the Citi Open final in Washington, D.C.

After an up and down opening two sets, Kyrgios brought his best in the third-set tie-break, serving and volleying and ripping forehands to make his second ATP Tour final of the season. Kyrgios saved a match point with a service winner at 5/6 in the tie-break and clinched the semi-final with a 1-2 serve-forehand combination.

The 24-year-old won the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC, an ATP 500 tournament in Acapulco, in March (d. Zverev), and will next face the winner between four-time ATP Tour titlist Daniil Medvedev of Russia and German lucky loser Peter Gojowczyk.

The Aussie’s 80 per cent success rate (4/5) against the Top 10 this year is best on the ATP Tour. World No. 1 Novak Djokovic, second in the category, has won seven of his nine matches (7/9, 78%) against the elite group.

See Who’s Chasing Kyrgios, Djokovic In FedEx ATP Win/Loss Section

Kyrgios had everything working for him at the start of his first FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting against the 20-year-old Greek. He was demolishing forehand winners, smacking one-handed backhands and, to go ahead 4-2, he cut a nonchalant backhand volley, handing out fist bumps to the crowd to celebrate.

The Aussie won 87 per cent of his service points, and after a break in the opening game of the second, his place in the ATP 500 final looked all but secure. But Tsitsipas pounced on Kyrgios’ second serve to break twice and force a decider.

There, Kyrgios saved two break points early in the third set and saw a match point come and go at 7/6 in the tie-break. But some crafty play while Tsitsipas was at net brought up Kyrgios’ first match point on serve.