Nick Kyrgios wins despite ‘fuming’ start to second round

IT WAS clear from the outset Nick Kyrgios was in a foul mood. But it only got worse as the night went on.

Nick Kyrgios of Australia celebrates his win against Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay after their second round match on day three of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2016. The Australian Open tennis tournament will go from the 18th of January until the 31st of January 2016 and is Australia's foremost annual tennis event. (AAP Image/Tracey Nearmy) NO ARCHIVING, EDITORIAL USE ONLY

IT WAS clear from the outset Nick Kyrgios was in a foul mood.

From the moment he entered Hisense Arena for a second round clash against Pablo Cuevas on Wednesday night, he was talking animatedly to his player box and repeatedly saying “never again”.

When Cuevas took the opening game on serve Kyrgios yelled at his team: “I’m fuming.”

It wasn’t until later we learnt what the problem was. He was wearing the wrong shorts.

Kyrgios was reluctant to offer much detail after the game. “It was an absolute mix up, it was a circus,” he said. “Everything’s fine, a little bit of pain.

“It’s nothing to be too concerned about. I guess it will be fixed by the next round.”

Three early errors by one slow-starting line judge didn’t help.

Kyrgios gave the linesman a sarcastic thumbs up in the second game of the match after he incorrectly called his serve out. The Aussie challenged, won the call and fired down an angry ace.

Later in the game the chair umpire was forced to over rule a serve that was called good. Hawkeye showed he was correct, meaning the linesman had missed the mark again.

“If it’s out, it’s out, I don’t care,” Kyrgios said to the chair umpire. “But is he (the linesman) awake or not? It’s the second game of the match.”

Words were exchanged.

The trifecta was complete when the same linesman was over ruled again after calling another Kyrgios serve out as he battled to hold serve in the sixth game.

But regardless of whatever storm is swirling around him, when Kyrgios begins his service motion everything appears to subside. More often than not he produces big serves when he needs them and he produced plenty to take the first set 6-4.

Kyrgios smiled for the first time when he drifted a perfect drop shot over the net to help break Cuevas’s serve again early in the second set. But the anger returned soon enough.

An unnecessary drop volley triggered an errant service game and Kyrgios was broken for the first time. After losing the next game to love he stormed off to change his shorts.

White became black and 4-5 down became a 7-5 second set win. And despite increased noise from the crowd — some of it funny, some of it irritating — Kyrgios was on his way.

Still there was one more hiccup. Kyrgios received treatment on his right arm midway through the third set and after being up a break, lost his serve and almost his cool. “(I was) five minutes away from winning,” he yelled.

Cuevas, who had finally made it to the second round in Australia after five attempts, couldn’t have been more of a contrast. Decked out in a pretty dorky white peaked hat, white polo shirt and white socks combo, the Uruguayan was a picture of calm for almost the entire night.

But he leapt into the air and cried in anguish after failing to return a pair of Kyrgios serves when he had two set points in the third.

Cuevas’s chance was lost and while he continued to serve well to force a tiebreaker, Kyrgios showed his class by taking it 7-2.

Kyrgios finished strongly in a tight third set.

“Today was tough,” Kyrgios said. “I didn’t really think he could serve at that high level. He was really impressive in that category.”

Of course, sterner tests await the Australian. Kyrgios’s third round opponent, sixth seed Tomas Berdych is no mug. The Czech has made the quarter finals or better at his past five Australian Opens, including semi-final finishes the past two years.

But he also went 2-14 in matches against the top 10 last year and can be brittle in big moments.

Kyrgios smoked the Czech 6-2 in a one-set hit-and-giggle contest in the International Premier Tennis League in Japan two months ago, leaving Berdych fully aware of his firepower.

“He’s definitely a rising star,” Berdych said. “He has definitely a game to play big matches and play big opponents.

“He’s going to play aggressive. He’s serving well. I have to be ready, being there, being prepared and being very focused from the first point.”

Whether Kyrgios is the same is another story. Whether it matters is also up for debate.