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Tsitsipas says Kyrgios has 'evil side' after fiery Wimbledon clash

Spain's Rafael Nadal is through to the fourth round at Wimbledon

France's Harmony Tan is through to the fourth round at Wimbledon
France's Harmony Tan is through to the fourth round at Wimbledon

Stefanos Tsitsipas said Nick Kyrgios has an "evil side" after a stormy clash at Wimbledon on Saturday in which the victorious Australian called for his Greek opponent to be kicked out of the tournament.

The bad-tempered match overshadowed the rest of the action on day six, which included the end of Iga Swiatek's 37-match winning streak and a routine victory for Rafael Nadal.

The contest descended into mayhem when a frustrated Tsitsipas hit the ball into the crowd after losing the second set.

"You can't hit a ball into the crowd and hit someone and not get defaulted," said the 27-year-old, who received an audible obscenity warning during the match.

The bad feeling bubbled up again in post-match press conferences, with fourth seed Tsitsipas saying it felt like a "circus".

"He was probably a bully at school himself. I don't like bullies. 

Tsitsipas said he wished players could "come together and put a rule in place" to curb Kyrgios's behaviour.

But Kyrgios laughed off Tsitsipas's accusations, describing his opponent as "soft".

He added: "I'm good in the locker room. I've got many friends, just to let you know. I'm actually one of the most liked. I'm set. He's not liked. Let's just put that there."

Earlier, French veteran Alize Cornet took advantage of an error-strewn performance from Polish women's world number one Swiatek to triumph 6-4, 6-2.

The 21-year-old had not lost a match since her defeat to Jelena Ostapenko in February in Dubai, winning her past six tournaments, including the French Open.

"As a solid player, she used that pretty well. For sure, it wasn't a good performance from me."

Australian 19th seed Alex De Minaur beat British wild card Liam Broady in straight sets and will play Chile's Cristian Garin in the last 16.

Tan will next play 20th seed Amanda Anisimova, who came from behind to beat French Open finalist Coco Gauff 6-7 (4/7), 6-2, 6-1 in an all-American tie.

The Romanian will next play fourth seed Paula Badosa, who defeated two-time champion Petra Kvitova 6-4, 7-6 (7/4).

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Originally published as Tsitsipas says Kyrgios has 'evil side' after fiery Wimbledon clash

Original URL: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/tsitsipas-takes-on-kyrgios-in-wimbledon-blockbuster/news-story/6c2888eb62124e3166c3b8c4eeba6fe3