Australia’s Nick Kyrgios saved three match points before beating Spaniard Rafael Nadal in a dramatic second-round match at the Mexican Open in Acapulco.

World number two Nadal, playing his first tournament since losing to Novak Djokovic in January’s Australian Open final, lost 3-6 7-6 (7-2) 7-6 (8-6).

Kyrgios, 23, saved nine break points in the match and came from 6-3 down in the third-set tie-break.

He will play Switzerland’s Stan Wawrinka in the quarter-finals.

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World number two Nadal, 32, sent a backhand long to seal victory for Kyrgios, who fell to the floor in celebration following a match which lasted three hours and three minutes.

At the end of the first set, Kyrgios complained to a trainer about feeling ill but said he did not want to retire as he was wary of the backlash.

He saved four break points in the ninth game of the second set, and a further five in the sixth game of the final set.

Nadal, a 17-time Grand Slam champion, took only one of his 10 break point chances in the match.

In the women’s draw, American top seed Sloane Stephens suffered a shock 6-3 6-3 defeat by Brazilian qualifier Beatriz Haddad Maia.

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