Nick Kyrgios could not contain his fury after losing to Karen Khachanov
Nick Kyrgios unleashed his anger after his US Open quarterfinal defeat to Russia’s Karen Khachanov, obliterating two rackets in a row by hammering them into the court at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Kyrgios had been installed by many as the title favorite in New York following his win over defending champion and world number one Daniil Medvedev in the previous round, continuing the scintillating form which had taken him to the Wimbledon final back in July.
But the Australian faced the relentless serving of Khachanov as the Russian remained composed to win the crucial moments of a contest spanning more than three-and-a-half hours which began on Tuesday night but ended after midnight.
Kyrgios, 27, had entertained the crowd by playing some mid-rally tweeners, but also demonstrated flashes of his notorious temper by directing outbursts towards his box and hammering a racket into the court in the third set.
Kyrgios showed his frustration on three straight points in the third set. pic.twitter.com/uMstvZKHXQ
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 7, 2022
The Australian had appeared hampered by a knee injury and received medical treatment on court, but battled back to take the contest to a full five sets before succumbing to his 26-year-old rival.
As Khachanov celebrated what will be a maiden Grand Slam semifinal appearance of his career, the enraged Kyrgios was seen smashing a racket into the court before grabbing another and repeating the outburst.
The Australian 23rd seed had regained his composure by the post-match press conference, saying he was “devastated” to be exiting the tournament but praising Khachanov as a “warrior.”
“Honestly probably the best server I played this tournament. The way he was hitting his spots under pressure. He just played the big points well,” said Kyrgios.
Khachanov, who will play fifth seed Casper Ruud of Norway on Friday for a spot in the final, said he was “proud” of what he had achieved, having fallen in his previous two Grand Slam quarterfinal appearances, in Paris in 2019 and at Wimbledon in 2021.
“I was focused from the beginning to the end… It was a crazy match but I came ready to fight and to play five sets,” said the Russian number 27 seed.
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