The renaissance of Nick Kyrgios continues in Miami: the Australian easily reached the round of 16 on Sunday, as did the future world No.1 Iga Swiatek and the teenager Linda Fruhvirtova, who took advantage of the abandonment of Victoria Azarenka under great stress.
A volcano goes out, an excellent player wakes up. The spring of 2022 is successful for Kyrgios, who, in the wake of a good run at the Indian Wells Masters where he gave in to Rafael Nadal, shows his best face on the tennis level.
Behavior-wise, the blowout is very never far away – a ballboy in California nearly checked it out the hard way when he had to dodge the racket the 26-year-old had just smashed in anger following his loss once morest the Spaniard. But for the time being in Florida, his serenity is total.
And as once morest Andrey Rublev (7th), swept away in 53 minutes in the previous round, it was in steamroller mode that he dismissed 6-2, 6-4 the Italian Fabio Fognini (34th), passing this times eight more minutes on the court.
“It wasn’t easy today before the game, all social media was expecting fireworks between us. I knew I had to approach it with the right mindset, calm, head down “, explained the Australian.
Excellent in service (10 aces, 77% of first ball), Kyrgios applied himself to shortening the exchanges by making his power speak, once morest an opponent visibly not in his best shape, since he called the doctor between both sets.
The Italian resisted as best he might until 4-4 in the second set. Whereupon Kyrgios, whose level of play is the opposite of his 102nd place in the world, won the next eight points to win.
– Badosa expeditious –
The one who went through a very dark period, with suicidal thoughts, in 2019 and comes out of two difficult years on the tennis level, finally finds a smile. He will try to keep it in the next round, once morest another Italian Jannik Sinner (11th) or the Spaniard Pablo Carreno (19th).
Other qualifiers of the day: the Norwegian Casper Ruud (8th), who defeated 6-3, 6-2 the Kazakh Alexander Bublik (33rd), and the Briton Cameron Norrie (12th), winner in a more hung match 6-4, 7-5 once morest Frenchman Hugo Gaston (68th).
Among women, Iga Swiatek, recent winner in Indian Wells and guaranteed to succeed Ashleigh Barty on the world throne, is euphoric. The Pole spent just over an hour on the court to get rid of Madison Brengle (59th) 6-0, 6-3 and will face another American in the next round, Coco Gauff (17th).
Earlier, Czech sensation Linda Fruhvirtova, ranked 279th in the world, became the youngest player to reach 8th in Miami since Maria Sharapova and Tatiana Golovin in 2004, sickening Victoria Azarenka (16th).
So much so that the Belarus, triple winner of the tournament (2009, 2011, 2016), led 6-2, 3-0 and very frustrated during this match, with cries and racquet throws in support, left the Grandstand court at everyone’s amazement.
“I shouldn’t have entered the court today. The last few weeks have been extremely stressful in my personal life,” said the 16th in the world followingwards, in a press release.
In Indian Wells two weeks ago, she inexplicably broke down in tears during her match once morest Kazakh Elena Rybakina, but ended it with a loss at the end.
“I’m sorry for what happened. I hope to take a break and be able to come back,” added the Belarusian, who, like his compatriots and the Russians, plays without mention of his country or representation of his flag. , according to a directive from the tennis authorities, in response to the war in Ukraine which she herself frankly condemned.
Fruhvirtova, for whom “a dream comes true”, therefore prolongs it. In the next round, she will still have a lot to do, facing one of the favorites of the event, the Spaniard Paula Badosa (6th), expeditious once morest the Kazakh Yulia Putintseva (6-3, 6-2).