Cramping Kyrgios Backs Up Nadal Win, Beats Wawrinka, Will Meet Isner In Acapulco SFs
Nick Kyrgios fought off cramps and Stan Wawrinka Thursday night to reach the Acapulco semifinals. The controversial Kyrgios struggled late in his match against the Swiss with cramps which required multiple trainer visits, but the Australian secured a break mid-way through the third and hung on for a tough 7-5, 6-7(3), 6-4 win.
“I’m extremely tired,” said Kyrgios. “I showed great resilience to come out and beat a player like Stan in some tough conditions. I knew I was going to be the underdog and the crowd was going to be in [his] favour, but I served great today.
“The way I’ve competed the last two days is massive. I’ve left it all out there.”
Of course Kyrgios’s win comes the day after his huge win over Rafael Nadal.
“I didn’t pull up so great after the match against Rafa,” Kyrgios said. “But I just love playing here. Even though the crowd can get rowdy at times, the atmosphere is amazing.
“Before this tournament, I wasn’t playing very good. I was struggling with injuries. To have two good wins, I feel like the year is going back on track for me.”
Kyrgios and Wawrinka have had a history, but other than some curious looks from Wawrinka over at his opponent for his trainer visits, there was no ill-will displayed.
Kyrgios will have to regroup quickly because he returns tonight for the semifinals against big man John Isner who must also be feeling some fatigue. The American played yet another all-breaker match in an early morning 7-6(2), 6-7(4), 7-6(4) win over John Millman in a match that finish after 2:30am.
“We’ve played a handful of times, I’ve seen his matches this week,” said Isner. “I’ve won a couple, he’s won a couple. He’s an incredible talent, everyone knows that. So it will be a fun match.”
Kyrgios and Isner have split two previous meetings with Nick taking the last two. Kyrgios is into his first semifinal since London last summer.
The earlier semifinal pits No. 2 seed Alexander Zverev against surprise Brit Cameron Norrie.
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