Nick Kyrgios saved a match point in an exhilarating comeback win to become the youngest Australian Open men’s quarter-finalist in almost a quarter of a century.
Kyrgios overcame a back injury and a two-set deficit to somehow conjure a 5-7 4-6 6-3 7-6 (7-5) 8-6 fourth-round triumph over Andreas Seppi at Melbourne Park on Sunday night.
The colossal fightback over Roger Federer’s conqueror captivated fans at Hisense Arena and catapulted the 19-year-old into a last-eight showdown on Tuesday with either dual grand slam champion Andy Murray or Wimbledon semi-finalist Grigor Dimitrov.
• Pro’s choice: why Lleyton will know when it’s time
• Djokovic feared he’d be a one-major wonder
• The Australian Open Daily Deuce: day seven
Kyrgios is the first Australian since Lleyton Hewitt lost the title match to Marat Safin a decade ago to make the men’s Open quarter-finals – and, underlining his enormous potential, the first teenager to do so since Andrei Cherkasov in 1990.
Contesting just his seventh grand slam event, the Canberra sensation is also the first teenager to make the last eight of two majors since the great Federer.
His mobility restricted and explosive power diminished, Kyrgios obliterated a racquet at one point, such was his frustration at being unable to compete at full capacity early on.
Seppi won the opening set after breaking Kyrgios to love in the 11th game.
Kyrgios grew more and more frustrated as he squandered multiple break points in the fourth game of the second set, almost apologetically telling spectators: “I’m trying man. I can’t walk, though.”
After fending off a break point in the fifth game, Kyrgios couldn’t hold the Italian out again and found himself in a deep, deep hole after dropping serve for a second time in the ninth game – and then the second set.
But Kyrgios began to mount his stirring fightback as his back appeared to free up in the third set, which the Australian claimed after breaking Seppi for the first time.
Games in the fourth set went to serve before Seppi earned his match point in a tension-filled tiebreaker.
Showing ice-cool nerves, Kyrgios thundered down a 201km/h ace to keep his Open hopes alive.
Kyrgios then unleashed a withering backhand winner down the line on his first set point to force the decider.
Australia’s last hope followed up with a vicious down-the-line forehand winner to break Seppi again to seemingly have the veteran on the ropes.
But he inexplicably dropped serve to love in an alarming run of 12 straight points to Seppi, who drew level at 4-4 and then had a break point to give himself the opportunity to serve out the match.
Kyrgios again crunched an ace under untold pressure.
Kyrgios completed his second win from two sets down – after staving off nine match points against Richard Gasquet at Wimbledon last year – after three hours and 34 minutes when Seppi wilted and dropped serve to love in the 14th game of the epic final set.
“It feels so good,” Kyrgios said.
“This is my favourite court I’ve ever played on.”
Earlier, classy Czech Tomas Berdych ended Bernard Tomic’s Australian Open campaign.
The Wimbledon finalist and world No.7 dealt Tomic a grand slam reality check in a 6-2 7-6 (7-3) 6-2 fourth-round victory.
Tomic matched his effort from three years ago in making the last 16, after finding Berdych much too tough a customer.
The big-hitting seventh seed simply overpowered Tomic, whose improved fitness and court coverage was put to the test with Berdych’s brutal groundstrokes.
Tomic was on the back foot from the get-go.
He didn’t offer Sam Groth a single break point in his third-round match, but dropped his first two service games of the match against Berdych, who lost to Novak Djokovic in last year’s semi-finals.
But after steadying, Tomic began to work into the match and make inroads on Berdych’s serve.
Although he lost the opening set in 28 minutes, Tomic had the Czech in trouble on a succession of service games.
Tomic showed grit to save three break points from love-40 down in the ninth game of the second set and stood within two points of snatching the set with Berdych serving at 5-6.
But he was unable to convert and paid the price as Berdych took the tiebreaker and a stranglehold on the match.
Any hopes of a fightback were dashed when Berdych broke Tomic early in the third set before wrapping up the match after one hour and 34 minutes.
While Berdych can look forward to a quarter-final on Tuesday against Rafael Nadal, Tomic will have to settle for a return to the world’s top 50 as he continues his comeback from double hip surgery last year.
-AAP
Live News
