Nick Kyrgios has booked his spot in the third round of the US Open, downing world No. 50 Benjamin Bonzi in four sets.
Kyrgios prevailed 7-6(3), 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in 2h 56m, to setup a clash with American wildcard JJ Wolf.
The Australian was forced to dig deep on Louis Armstrong Stadium, as Bonzi took the fight to the 23rd seed.
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“I was literally hanging by a thread. His level today was incredible. I was not expecting an absolute war,” Kyrgios said.
“It could have gone either way early in the fourth but I got there. I played some really risky tennis late in that fourth set to win.
“I’m just really happy to get through. It’s been really stressful time I have high expectations to go deep this week. I’m just glad I got through.
“I felt like he was eating up my serves with his returns. To serve 30 aces helps a lot. When my serve’s going my game follows.”
As has become commonplace, Kyrgios had a run-in with those seated in his box, at one point telling them to “go home.”
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At one point, umpire Jaume Campistol had to ask fans to “please refrain from smoking around the court” after Kyrgios complained about the smell of marjiuana wafting around the arena.
“Obviously when athletes are running side to side and they have asthma already, it’s obviously not ideal,” Kyrgios said.
“Obviously I’m not going to complain about food smell. It was f—ing marijuana.”
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