By Chris Oddo | Wednesday February 27, 2019
Photo credit: Guillermo Sanchez
Nick Kyrgios is often referred to simply as “box office,” and on Wednesday night in Acapulco he proved to be worth the price of admission and more as he seized a wave of inspiration and took down top-seeded Rafael Nadal 3-6 7-6(2) 7-6(6) in an epic contest that was highly dramatic for its final two hours.
“Massive,” Kyrgios said after the victory. “To be able to put in a performance like that is pretty special against the No.1 seed, [who was] clearly the crowd favorite.”
Kyrgios improves to an impressive 6-4 against Top 2 competition, and 3-3 lifetime against Nadal with his victory, and he advances to the quarterfinals to face Stan Wawrinka in what could potentially be another blockbuster.
If Kyrgios can summon the same energy he did on Wednesday, he’ll most certainly have a shot. After looking lackluster in an opening set that flew by as Kyrgios' body language bordered on the morose, the Aussie met with trainers and looked as if he might not be able to continue.
He later told reporters that he had a case of food poisoning and had been struggling all day.
“I woke up today and had a bit of food poisoning,” Kyrgios confessed, saying he spent a fair bit of time on the toilet. “Honestly before the match I wasn’t so sure if I was going to go out there.”
But Kyrgios turned things around in the second set and seemed to start enjoying his evening on the knife’s edge. He saved four break points as he wiggled out of a 0-40 hole at four-all and the clutch play proved to be pivotal as he dominated the second-set breaker to force a third.
The decider was similar, with both players playing at a fairly high level, and Nadal managing to get the better of the opportunities.
But the one constant throughout the match that seemed to matter most was Kyrgios’ imperviousness to pressure. Kyrgios walked the tightrope with a sinister joy, saving all five break points he faced in the third set, but that wasn’t his piece de resistance.
Nor was his attempted underhand serve that he tried--and missed--in the third set.
The Aussie saved his best for last in the third-set tiebreaker when he rallied back from 6-3 down, saving three consecutive match points to completely shock Nadal and the partisan crowd.
Kyrgios saved the first with a drop shot winner and on the second he sent a volley careening off the net cord that landed miraculously on Nadal’s side of the court just inside the sideline for a clean winner.
That came after Nadal had stopped Kyrgios’ first serve because he felt he was being rushed—umpire Damian Steiner allowed for a let even as Kyrgios walked to his chair to vehemently protest.
Nadal missed a backhand while serving at 5-6 and then double-faulted to give Kyrgios the only match point he would need.
After the Aussie clinched his victory he fell to the ground and quickly sprang up, cupping his ears as he asked the crowd to let him have it. The packed house gave him cheers, they gave him boos, and only after a short, icy-cold handshake with Nadal, did the cacophony slowly started to fade.
Nadal signed autographs before leaving the stadium, stunned by a loss in which he won more points, hit more winners and earned more break points than Kyrgios.
But full credit to Kyrgios. He found a way, and for the first time this season, seems to be on the rise.
“I’m just really proud the way I overcame a couple of things today, and the way I’ve competed,” Kyrgios said. “Having a win like this gives me a bit of confidence in myself. … I’m trying to find my way—I’ve been through some tough stuff this last year or two, so just to be able to go out there and compete and just having fun again is something that’s been lost on me for a long, long time. To find it again today against a guy like Rafa is pretty special.”