kyrgios: Nick Kyrgios beats defending champion Medvedev to reach maiden US Open quarter-finals

Arthur Ashe sat in the Stadam locker room after Nick Kyrgios ended Daniil Medvedev’s US Open title defense and remained No. 1 in the rankings feeling a mixture of pride and relief. Proud of a big-serving, solid-returning performance that resulted in a 7-6 (11), 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 win over Medvedev on Sunday night, the latest in a series of career-changing results that saw Kyrgios His first quarterfinal at Flushing Meadows came on the heels of his race at Wimbledon, his first Grand Slam final.

Pride, he said, at pulling himself out of “some really difficult situations, mentally” and “some really scary places,” which he first revealed in February. Proud, he managed to distance himself from “feeling so sad, feeling sorry for himself” all the time.

and relieved, Kyrgios explained that he is tinged with gray

The Celtics hat he was wearing at his post-match news conference, when the lights are brightest and the highest stakes come on, “Because every time I go out on the court, there’s so much pressure, so much hope, so The very unpredictability of what I can do.”

23rd-seeded Kyrgios, a 27-year-old from Australia, had never made it past the third round of the US Open until now, going 0-4 at that level in the past. He has never managed to blend his undeniable skills into terrifying drama with any resemblance to the consistency he has displayed recently.

“I’m glad I’m finally able to show New York my talent,” Kyrgios said after conceding 21 aces against Medvedev and using his usual style. “I haven’t traveled here very much.”

Originally published at Pen 18