(New York) Daniil Medvedev, defending champion, was eliminated from the 8e U.S. Open finals, downed 7-6 (11/13), 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 by Nick Kyrgios (25e) who sent a message to the competition, Sunday in New York.
Posted at 10:54 p.m.
With this defeat, he is certain to lose his place as world No. 1, which will fall either to Rafael Nadal (3e), Carlos Alcaraz (4e) or Casper Ruud (5e), all three still in contention.
The Australian, who is entering this stage of the New York Major for the first time, will try to do better against another Russian Karen Khachanov (31e).
It was the third time this year that the two players faced each other. If in January Kyrgios, then at the beginning of a real rebirth after two dark years weighed down by depression and suicidal thoughts, had ended up giving in “at home” to the 2e round of the Australian Open, after a big fight, he had taken his revenge at the same stage of the Masters 1000 in Montreal in early August.
Meanwhile, in the euphoria of a final at Wimbledon, admittedly lost against Novak Djokovic, and of his victory in Washington, which put an end to three years of scarcity, the player, as talented as he is volcanic, somewhat calmed down to better show itself conqueror.
His performance against the Russian was the dazzling confirmation of this spectacular transformation. His tennis was flamboyant, hard-hitting and fine, without false note or fear or brake, like the first tiebreaker won with forceps in a high-flying sequence, having erased three set points in the process.
“I’m happy to finally be able to show in New York how well I can play. I work every day, really hard, I want every training to count.
show of strength
The Australian immediately decompensated, like three double faults on his first game of the second set, which allowed the Russian to escape to better equalize. And he swung his racket a few times on the ground, not forgetting to belch his frustration left and right.
All Kyrgios summed up in two sets… But it was his bright tennis that eclipsed his dark side. Even if it means making a mistake, animated by a joyful madness, when he went around the net, at the start of the third set, to put back into the court a backhand from Medvedev which was going to go out of bounds.
“I thought I had the right. It’s going to be all over social media and I’m going to look like an idiot,” he said on the court.
His show of force was none the less brilliant until the end. When Medvedev managed to worry him, because the Russian was not bad far from it, Kyrgios was able to force his destiny, especially on the fly and often thanks to his first ball (21 aces). In particular, he lined up two welcomes, followed by a service winner in the 4the handle, to avoid being unbroken.
His “Let’s goooooooo!” yelled then followed obscenities which earned him a warning a few minutes earlier. Irresistible, he did not fail to go to the end of his performance, which makes him more than ever a very, very serious candidate for the title.
” I’m going to bed. Before, I would have gone out, ”he concluded at the microphone. Changed we tell you.