Nick Kyrgios survived a massive test from Jo-Wilfred Tsonga as he beat the Frenchman 7-6(5) 4-6 7-6(6) 7-6(5) to set up a clash with Grigor Dimitrov on Sunday.
The Australian started the match better as some Tsonga errors allowed Kyrgios to break for a 2-1 lead early on. However the 15th seed kept up the pressure and used his athleticism to try and chase down some ridiculous Kyrgios angles. Eventually his hard work would pay off as a lucky net cord allowed him to earn the break back for 3-3 in the opening set. As both men had high first serve percentages, no break point opportunities occurred and the first set went to the first of three tiebreakers. The Australian fought his way back to grab the tiebreak 7-5 to the delight of the home crowd.
Tsonga is used to producing comebacks after his heroics against Denis Shapovalov on Wednesday and he would need to do the same against Kyrgios. He got off to the perfect start when he broke in the fifth game to take a 3-2 lead. The 17th seed had no response as Tsonga eased his way to the second set, 6-4.
The third set produced some high quality serving from both players as no break point opportunities were created as a crucial set was about to take set. Kyrgios’s confidence was high however he would have to settle for another tiebreak set as Tsonga remained stubborn. Despite facing set point in the third set, the Australian took the tiebreak 8-6 and took a lead in the match.
The fourth set would start with some controversy as Tsonga received a code violation warning for picking a fight with the crowd, as shown below:
Jo-Wilfried shouting something along the lines of "Bring him down here and I'll kick his ass" (literally "settle his account.")
Jo later added "He said something to me and I do what I want."
Unclear whom in the stands this is directed at.
#AusOpen pic.twitter.com/dz3yIdZHOZ
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) January 19, 2018
Again there was some clutch serving from both players especially Kyrgios and unbelievably yet not surprisingly a third tiebreak in four sets would happen. A fifth set looked on the cards after Tsonga took a 5-2 lead however Kyrgios hit some fine returns to win five points on the bounce and book a place Round Four of the Australian Open.
This is what the Australian had to say about his win, “It was amazing. I have never won a match on this court (the Rod Laver Arena) coming in.” Said Kyrgios. “Playing Jo, I was obviously very nervous. He was a guy I looked up to as a kid and I still do. He’s a great guy. A champion of the game. I am just happy that I got through. “
Kyrgios will now play third seed Grigor Dimitrov on Sunday and the Australian recognises the challenge facing him, “It’s going to be tough. He’s an amazing athlete, obviously one of the best in the world. It’s the best of five sets and I think that favours him a lot. He’s very comfortable and a great athlete.”
It will be only the third time that Kyrgios will appear at the second week of a grand slam.
