New York, August 29/2010 Australia’s Nick Kyrgios was disappointed to see his dear friend Thanasi Kokkinakis lose in the first round after defeating his compatriot 6-3 6-4 7-6(4). The US Open.
The doubles partners won the Australian Open together but ended up on opposite sides in the final major of the year, with the in-form Kyrgios continuing his impressive year and will not face a break in the “special case” battle at Arthur Ashe Stadium. .
“It’s probably one of the most awkward matches I’ve ever had in my career. I feel like we both have a game plan, we know our games very well,” Kyrgios, 27, told reporters.
“From the get-go, I was trying to block his body and play the tennis ball. I was really trying not to look at him. I felt like that helped me.”
The Wimbledon runner-up made it out of the first round last year but took care of business in just over two hours, leaping into the air to break the volley and break Kokkinakis in a mostly routine routine. Penultimate game.
Kyrgios broke Kokkinakis to open the second set, firing 14 winners – twice as many as his opponent – in a relatively lackluster display.
Refusing to go down without a fight, Kokkinakis hit 10 aces in the final set but was simply no match for the dominant Kyrgios, who dropped just two of his first serve points.
“I feel like there are probably two players, two or three players, after tennis, maybe until I die,” said Kyrgios, who took the last three points of the final.
“Tanasi is one of them, it’s very difficult.
“The way I played, the goals I scored, I felt like I had a good chance in this tournament, it’s a mix of emotions when I see his name. Look, it’s him, I felt I handled him. Pretty professional.”
After making his first major final at Wimbledon, Kyrgios won the Washington title and reached the quarter-finals in Montreal in unprecedented fashion for a furious Australian.
“I’m tired, 99% of people on the tennis tour don’t understand what it’s like to go this long,” said Kyrgios, who will finish his season after Flushing Meadows.
“It’s cruel. There are babies in my family, my mother is sick, my father is not well, I have to keep traveling.
“But I have no choice but to wake up and try to do my best today. I’m not complaining. I mean, it’s just as hard.”
Sign up now for unlimited access to Reuters.com
Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York and Sudipto Ganguly in Mumbai; Edited by Christian Schmollinger
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
