Nick Kyrgios reportedly clashed with fans in the stands at the US Open following his quarter-final exit at the hands of Karen Khachanov in the early hours of Wednesday morning. The Aussie star was beaten in five sets by his Russian opponent, who will face Casper Ruud for a place in the final of this year’s tournament on Friday.
Kyrgios was visibly furious at various points during the match and made his feelings known by smashing his water bottle against the ground in the fourth set and receiving a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct. He also ‘clashed with rowdy fans’ as his US Open journey came to an end in a five-set thriller that lasted for almost four hours, according to The Sun.
The 27-year-old was also seen shouting obscenities in the direction of his box during his defeat to Khachanov, who performed well under pressure in the decisive fifth set to claim the spoils and book his place in the semi-finals at Flushing Meadows. Kyrgios went on to smash not one, but two rackets in the immediate aftermath of proceedings before hastily making his way off the court and into the dressing rooms.
The result marked an unfortunate blow for Kyrgios, who is still waiting to achieve his first Grand Slam triumph despite having been one of the favourites to win the US Open this year. He had been widely tipped to claim the top prize in the absences of Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, who was knocked out by home favourite Frances Tiafoe in the quarter-finals earlier this week.
JUST IN: Khachanov appears to take dig at US Open fans after Kyrgios win
Kyrgios’ outbursts during and after Wednesday’s match will serve as the latest in a long list of controversies that have plagued the Canberra native’s career to date, with the Wimbledon finalist never one to hide his true feelings or shy away from the limelight. He insisted after his defeat that he was heartbroken to have thrown away his hopes of finally achieving Grand Slam glory by failing to reach the semi-finals in spite of his best efforts.
“I’m just devastated, just feel like it was either winning it all or nothing at all, to be honest,” Kyrgios told reporters. “I feel like I’ve just failed at this event right now, that’s what it feels like.
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“Honestly, I don’t even really care about any other tournament. Like, I feel like at the Grand Slams, now having success at a Grand Slam, it’s just like no other tournament really matters. I think pretty much every other tournament during the year is a waste of time really.”
Kyrgios immediately found himself on the back foot against Khachanov, who edged a tight first set after the first break point of the match went his way. The former went on to recover by levelling proceedings in set two before missing a number of opportunities to break on his way to losing the third set.
He battled back in the fourth to force an all-important fifth set, in which Khachanov stayed cool to reach the US Open semi-finals for the very first time. It remains to be seen whether Kyrgios will be able to bounce back by winning his elusive first Grand Slam over the course of next year, with the hot-headed Aussie coming close at Wimbledon back in July by finishing as the runner-up.
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