Nick Kyrgios stuns world with ‘best ever’ win against reigning US Open champ

Nick Kyrgios has dropped jaws all over the tennis world, knocking out the world No. 1 at the US Open in his “best ever” performance.

Nick Kyrgios looks unbeatable right now. Picture: Mike Stobe/Getty Images

The king is dead. Long live the king?

Nick Kyrgios has shot into outright favouritism to win the US Open after a thrilling victory over reigning champion Daniil Medvedev in New York on Monday afternoon (AEST).

The Aussie is through to the quarter-finals of the US Open for the first time after stunning the world with a 7-6 3-6 6-3 6-2 victory over the Russian.

Kyrgios now plays No. 27 seed Karen Khachanov for a spot in the semi-finals.

On a golden, memorable, night for Australian tennis, Aussie star Ajla Tomljanovic also moved through to the quarter-finals with an ultra-impressive victory over Ludmilla Samsonova.

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Aussie tennis great Todd Woodbridge said it was the best match he had ever seen Kyrgios play.

He called it a “momentous” victory that was more significant than all the wins Kyrgios pulled off on his way to the Wimbledon final this year.

“I rate that as the best match I’ve seen Nick Kyrgios play in a grand slam tournament,” he told Channel 9.

“That was a performance for the ages.”

His fourth round blockbuster against Medvedev was expected to be one of the matches of the tournament — and it delivered in an avalanche of weird, wonderful and wild moments.

Kyrgios took the opening set 13-11 in a nailbiting tie-break where he defended three set points.

However, the match was soon tied when Kyrgios came out in the second sluggish and timid.

Kyrgios appeared a different man in the third set and was grinning all over the court on his way to taking a 2-1 set lead.

Nick Kyrgios looks unbeatable right now. Picture: Mike Stobe/Getty Images

A tactical shift of returning to the net as often as possible frustrated Medvedev and he had no answer to the red-hot Aussie in the fourth set.

Even Kyrgios was surprised by how well he played.

“It was an amazing match, I played really well. I’ve been playing amazing. What a place to do it,” Kyrgios said.

“I’m still trying to figure it out, I’m trying to work hard every day, make every session count. Before I would be out every night, now I have a great girlfriend. My team, it’s all my team, I’m working really hard, I hope I can keep it going.

“I don’t want to let them down, I’ve been on the road for four months, we all have families we want to see, I want to make this count.”

It turned farcical in the third set when the 27-year-old had a moment of sheer madness and committed a foul shot in a moment that has stunned the tennis world.

At 30-30 in Medvedev’s first service game of the set, Kyrgios had his opponent beaten after Medvedev’s shot at the net popped up and was set to land out of the court near the chair umpire. Instead of letting the ball land on Medvedev’s own side of the court, Kyrgios crossed to the other side of the net to cheekily put away a mock smash.

Nick Kyrgios could not help himself.

Nick Kyrgios ended up losing the point.

The chair umpire then took the point off Kyrgios as a result of a “foul shout”.

It might have been funny for some sections of the crowd, but it cost him a break point opportunity.

The bizarre moment in the heat of battle left Aussie tennis great Todd Woodbridge staggered.

“I’ve never seen that in all my time in tennis,” he said on Channel 9.

“Oh, what an error. That should have been a break point.”

He went on to say: “I still can’t believe it”.

Other tennis commentators were even more scathing.

Veteran journalist Ben Rothenberg wrote on Twitter: “Kyrgios just found the dumbest way to lose a point I’ve ever seen, goodness”.

American TV commentator Brad Gilbert wrote: “I have never seen that before. It cost Cheerios Kyrgios a break point”.

Tennis journalist Jose Morgado wrote: “What the hell did Kyrgios just do on a 30-30? Dear lord”.

The mistake actually had a positive impact on Kyrgios’ mental state and he went on to take the set 6-3.

He was even laughing about it as he spoke to his team after the point.

“I honestly was thinking that was legal,” he said.

Like…why?

Kyrgios would have had break point if he had let the ball bounce.

Even by Kyrgios standards, that was baffling.pic.twitter.com/x8dvOsH08E

— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) September 5, 2022

He was still able to laugh about it after the match in his on-court interview with Patrick McEnroe.

“I still can’t believe the boneheaded play I made over here,” he said.

“I thought that was legal. That’s going to be everywhere over Sports Centre. I’m gonna look like an idiot. That’s all right.”

Earlier, Kyrgios produced some silky tennis just minutes after losing his cool in a tirade directed at the people sitting in his player’s box, including doubles teammate Thanasi Kokkinakis and his girlfriend Costeen Hatzi.

“Tell me where to f***ing serve,” he raged.

“F***ing three times. Say something. F***ing hell.”

The outburst had American tennis commentators apologising to viewers.

“This place is so well mic’d that you’re going to hear a lot of cursing tonight,” one TV commentator said.

“Sorry about that.”

Australia's Nick Kyrgios complains to the chair umpire. Picture: Corey Sipkin/AFP

It was the prime time match on US television as the opening match of the night session on Arthur Ashe Stadium — and after a show like that, they won’t be taking Kyrgios out of the prime time slot any time soon.

Second set: Match turns on its head, Medvedev threatens to quit

Daniil Medvedev threatened to walk off court after taking issue with members of Nick Kyrgios’ entourage.

While Kyrgios took a five-minute bathroom break at the end of the first set to change his clothes, Medvedev stayed on court and complained to the chair umpire.

He appeared to be complaining about something going on inside Kyrgios’ player’s box.

“They cannot do it,” Medvedev said.

“If they do it a second time I am not playing until somebody is out. I have just told you I am not playing if they do it a second time because they cannot do it on my serve.

“They are in a box of a professional tennis player, they cannot do it on my serve. One more time and I am not playing anymore.”

Commentating on Amazon Prime in the United States, Jim Courier said: “It sounds like someone has irritated Medvedev from Nick Kyrgios’ box and he’s suggesting they will need to be removed if they keep doing what they keep doing.

“That’s not going to de-escalate things. There is already a whole load of tension and that might take it up to a new level.”

It didn’t impact Medvedev on the court and he raced to a 5-1 lead before eventually serving it out 6-3.

First set: Medvedev gesture gets crowd pumped up

Kyrgios secured the first break of serve in the first set and went ahead 4-2 in a moment that brought the crowd to its feet.

However, it was soon 5-5 when Medvedev broke back in a service game when he twice gestured for the crowd to cheer louder.

The gestures did not go unnoticed.

“The games begin,” Aussie great Todd Woodbridge said in commentary.

“He’s saying, ‘Which side are you on? I’m the champion. You love to hate me, you learned to love me, and I’m back’.”

The drama went to another level in the next service game when Kyrgios appeared to complain to the chair umpire about the use of the service clock where he was repeatedly in danger of taking too long.

In the extremely humid conditions, Kyrgios appeared to complain he did not have enough time to use his towel and get back to the service line in time.

“I get back from the box and there’s like six seconds,” he said.

“I’ve never had a problem with it at this tournament apart from with you.”

The exchange with the umpire in the middle of a service game received a negative response from the crowd and he was booed in some sections before he stepped up for his next serve.

Daniil Medvedev gestures to the crowd. Picture: Sarah Stier/Getty Images/AFP

Defeat for Medvedev on Sunday would mean he will lose his world number one ranking after the US Open.

The 26-year-old has made the semi-finals or better in the last three years at the US Open.

He admits that he has been “surprised” by Kyrgios’s rejuvenation as a player which has seen him return to the top 25, having been close to slipping out of the top 100 at the end of 2021.

“We are both quite electric. You never know what’s going to happen,” said Medvedev, who has been untroubled so far at the tournament.

Nick Kyrgios of Australia fires a forehand. Picture: Jamie Squire/Getty Images

“I don’t think we are friends. When I say ‘friends’, we haven’t been to the bar together.

“I feel like we respect each other a lot. On the court also we never really had any fight or anything, which can change any moment.

“We are both quite electric. You never know what’s going to happen in the future.

“Nick is a little bit different from other tennis players sometimes on the court. That’s his choice. That’s his life. I’m not the one to judge.”

Despite dropping just one set on his way through to the fourth round, it has been a turbulent campaign for Kyrgios, highlighted by a series of tirades towards the people sitting in his player’s box.