RICKY DIMON REPORTS FROM MADRID TENNIS; KYRGIOS COMES UP BIG IN MADRID THRILLER AGAINST FEDERER

Written by: Staff on 7th May 2015

RICKY DIMON REPORTS FROM MADRID TENNIS; KYRGIOS COMES UP BIG IN MADRID THRILLER AGAINST FEDERER

epa04735703 Swiss tennis player Roger Federer returns a ball to Austrian Nick Kyrgios during their Madrid Open tennis tournament second round match at the Caja Magica pavilion, in Madrid, Spain, 06 May 2015. EPA/JUANJO MARTIN |

Kyrgios comes up big in Madrid thriller against Federer

The Mutua Madrid Open had it all on Wednesday. A marathon in a marquee women’s matchup (Serena Williams saved three match points in a win over Victoria Azarenka), hometown dominance (five Spanish men advanced to the last 16, including upsets by Marcel Granollers and Fernando Verdasco), and a 3:00 a.m. finish (Andy Murray vs. Philipp Kohlschreiber).

And, oh yeah, it also had Roger Federer vs. Nick Kyrgios.

In a thriller that won’t soon be forgotten, Kyrgios fought off two match points and needed six of his own before pulling off a huge 6-7(2), 7-6(5), 7-6(12) victory in two hours and 37 minutes.

The 20-year-old Austrian had to overcome plenty of adversity en route to one of the biggest wins of his blossoming career. Drama started in the first-set tiebreaker, complete with broken rackets, terrible line calls, and a heated argument with Mohamed Lahyani. After losing the ‘breaker seven points to two, Kyrgios fell behind by a quick break in the second. But he broke right back and eventually forced tiebreakers in both the second and third sets.

Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios serves a ball to Swiss Roger Federer during their Madrid Open tennis tournament second round match at the Caja Magica pavilion, in Madrid, Spain, 06 May 2015. EPA/JUANJO MARTIN

As the score indicates, the third of three consecutive ‘breakers was by far the most dramatic. Kyrgios saved match points on his serve at 6-7 and 10-11. Federer fended off match points at 5-6, 7-8, 8-9, 9-10, and 11-12. It finally ended on an errant forehand by the 33-year-old Swiss.

“Before the match I didn’t feel nervous or anything like that,” Kyrgios commented. “I was just excited to get out to the court. I’ve been playing well recently on the clay, so I knew I had a good chance to go out there and do well. I stuck to my game and served well and I got the win.”

Swiss tennis player Roger Federer returns a ball to Austrian Nick Kyrgios during their Madrid Open tennis tournament second round match at the Caja Magica pavilion, in Madrid, Spain, 06 May 2015. EPA/JUANJO MARTIN

“He likes the big stage,” Federer said of his opponent. “He’s got nothing to lose, no fear, and he’s got a great game. He can rely on his serve so much. It keeps him in the match regardless of he how he plays from the baseline…. My problem was I couldn’t return his first serve.”

Speaking of big serving, Kyrgios will go up against John Isner for the first time in his career on Thursday. Isner is heating up nicely after a rough start to the 2015 campaign. The 18th-ranked American reached the fourth round in Indian Wells and the semifinals in Miami, stopped only by Novak Djokovic at each venue. His European clay-court swing began with a third-round performance in Monte-Carlo, where Rafael Nadal took him out. So far in Madrid, Isner has defeated Adrian Mannarino and Thomaz Bellucci.

Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand.

Topics: Andy Murray, Atp World Tour, Clay tennis, Madrid, Mutua Madrid Open, Nick Kyrgios, Philipp Kohlschreiber, Ricky Dimon, Roger Federer, Serena Williams, Tennis, Victoria Azarenka

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10sBalls_com says:

May 7, 2015 at 9:09 am

-@Dimonator REPORTS FROM @MutuaMadridOpen TENNIS; @NickKyrgios COMES UP BIG IN #MADRID THRILLER AGAINST @rogerfederer http://t.co/hE9rR432V1