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Kyrgios wins, Nadal next

Jun 29, 2014

Australian teenager Nick Kyrgios has extended his remarkable Wimbledon debut into a dream last-16 showdown with world No.1 Rafael Nadal.

And the confident 19-year-old believes he’s capable of causing one of the All England Club’s greatest upsets in the biggest match of his life on Monday.

Wildcard Kyrgios, the youngest man in the draw, rebounded from the high of his incredible win over Richard Gasquet to beat 68th-ranked Czech Jiri Vesely 3-6 6-3 7-5 6-2 in a rain-interrupted third-round match on Saturday.

The last Australian left standing in singles at the grass court grand slam, Kyrgios will now face the 14-times grand slam champion Nadal in the sort of match he’s dreamed about since first picking up a racquet.

“Obviously 14 grand slams between us, so it’s going to be a good match,” Kyrgios joked.

“I’m overwhelmed with happiness.

“Making my fourth round at a grand slam and the opportunity to play Rafa, hopefully on Centre Court, it’s an opportunity I’m just going to embrace.

“I never thought I would be seeing Nadal in my fourth round Wimbledon in my 19th year.

“I thought it would take years and years of work to finally have an opportunity like that.

“To think that it’s going to happen in about a day is daunting, but so exciting as well.”

Nadal, Wimbledon champion in 2008 and 2010, reached the fourth round for the first time since 2011 with a four-set win over Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Kukushkin.

However he has shown some vulnerability, losing the first set in all three of his matches so far.

“It’s grass, it’s probably his least favourite surface but he’s extraordinary on it as well,” Kyrgios said.

“Of course I have nothing to lose out there. Anything is possible.

“I’m just going to go out there and play my game. I think that’s definitely enough to be competitive.”

Asked if he had belief he could even cause an upset, Kyrgios replied confidently: “yeah”.

Kyrgios’ win also ensured he will break into the world’s top 100 for the first time, a remarkable feat considering he was ranked lower than 800th at the start of last year.

The Australian showed no signs of an emotional or physical hangover from Thursday’s incredible win over 13th seed Gasquet, in which he fought back from two sets down and saved nine match points, again coming from behind to clinch victory.

Saturday’s match started almost two hours after schedule due to morning showers but the first session of play lasted just 18 minutes.

Kyrgios trailed 4-2 when play was called off due to more rain and the players had to wait four-and-a-half hours for a resumption.

The Australian failed to prevent 20-year-old Vesely closing out the first set but he dominated the match from there.

He banged down 26 aces and increasingly found ways to break down left-hander Vesely’s huge serve.

After the pair traded breaks in the fourth set, Kyrgios forged clear impressively, finishing the match off with a big serve and dropping to the ground in a Nadal-esque celebration.

“I think the rain delay played a massive part in that match,” Kyrgios said.

“He had a lot of momentum … I thought I played some really good tennis in the last three sets.”

Nadal earlier overcame Kukushkin 6-7 (7-4) 6-1 6-1 6-1 under Centre Court’s closed roof and he believes Kyrgios will prove a tricky opponent.

“Young players are very dangerous as always they have something special,” Nadal said.

“They are able to play with no pressure. They are fresh.”
World number one and five-time champion Serena Williams has crashed to her earliest defeat at Wimbledon for nine years while Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Maria Sharapova sailed smoothly through.

Williams, the top seed, lost her third-round tie to French 25th seed Alize Cornet 1-6 6-3 6-4 in a Court One clash which had been held up for over four hours because of torrential rain which saw 45 matches wiped off the schedule.

Serena could have no complaints about an embarrassing defeat, which continued a disappointing campaign for the 17-time Grand Slam champion.

It was her earliest exit from the All England Club since 2005 when she lost to fellow American Jill Craybas at the same stage.

“Well, I think everyone in general plays the match of their lives against me. So I’m pretty sure that the next match, it won’t be the same,” Williams said.

“So I just have to be a hundred times better. If I’m not, then I’m in trouble.”

Cornet, 24, goes on to face Canadian 13th seed Eugenie Bouchard on Monday in what will be her first appearance in the second week of Wimbledon.

Cornet, who had defeated Williams in Dubai earlier this year, celebrated by kissing the turf in jubilation.

“A few years ago I couldn’t even play on grass. I was so bad,” said the slender Frenchwoman.

“To beat Serena at Wimbledon, wow, it is just a dream. It is the biggest upset in the tournament because she is the world number one and has won here so many times.”

In stark comparison, Nadal, Federer and Sharapova all secured fourth round spots playing under the Centre Court roof.

Nadal, the 2008 and 2010 champion, dropped the opening set for the third time in three matches before turning things around in a 6-7 (4/7), 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 victory over Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Kukushkin, who had never won a Wimbledon match before this year.

Nadal, the 28-year-old winner of 14 Grand Slam titles, won 17 of the last 19 games against the world number 63 and goes on to face Australia’s rising star Nick Kyrgios who beat Jir Vesely of the Czech Republic, 3-6 6-3 7-5 6-2.

Seven-time champion Federer breezed past Santiago Giraldo of Colombia, 6-3 6-1 6-3 and next faces either big-serving Polish 15th seed Jerzy Janowicz, a semi-finalist last year, or Tommy Robredo of Spain, seeded 23rd, for a place in the quarter-finals.

Sharapova, the 2004 champion, remained on course for a rare French Open and Wimbledon double after moving into the fourth round with a 6-3 6-0 victory over American Alison Riske.

The world number five next faces German ninth seed Angelique Kerber who beat Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium, 3-6 6-3 6-2.

“I had a little bit of a slow start but otherwise I’m thankful to get through,” Sharapova said.

Third seed Simona Halep of Romania reached the last 16 for the first time with a 6-4 6-1 win over Swiss teenager Belinda Bencic.

Men’s eighth seed Milos Raonic became just the second Canadian man to reach the last 16 by beating Poland’s Lukasz Kubot, 7-6 (7/2) 7-6 (7/4) 6-2.

The third round matches between fifth-seeded Stan Wawrinka against Denis Istomin and Feliciano Lopez’s match with John Isner were put back until Monday.

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