Nick Kyrgios beat defending champion, Daniil Medvedev, 7-6(11), 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 in a fiery match this morning to reach the quarter finals of the US Open for the first time.
It is Kyrgios’ first win over a World No.1 at a Grand Slam since his breakout performance against Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon in 2014.
The victory should come as little surprise in the midst of Kyrgios’ best season yet, having beaten Medvedev in Canada earlier in August after he reached the Wimbledon final in July.
Kyrgios took the opening set 13-11 in a nail-biting tiebreak where he defended three set points. The match was soon tied when Kyrgios came out in the second set sluggish.
The Australian appeared a different man in the third set, taking a 2-1 lead before ultimately claiming the set. The 27-year-old also claimed the last set.
During the match, Kyrgios struck 22 aces and hit a total of 49 winners to just 19 unforced errors. Even with Medvedev landing 71 percent of his first serves, Kyrgios still managed to break him three times in the match.
“It was an amazing match. Obviously Daniil is defending champion and had a lot of pressure on his shoulders but I played really well,” Kyrgios said after his match.
“I have been playing amazing the last couple of months. What a place to do it. A packed house in New York. I’m extremely blessed.”
Kyrgios now plays No. 27 seed Karen Khachanov for a spot in the semi-finals.
