Kyrgios into Acapulco quarters
A clinical performance against Donald Young has seen Nick Kyrgios set up an Acapulco quarterfinal against either Novak Djokovic or Juan Martin del Potro.
Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico, 2 March 2017 | AAP
Nick Kyrgios has claimed a second-round victory over American Donald Young in straight sets on Wednesday in Acapulco.
The Australian broke his opponent twice in the first set and again in the second to claim a 6-2 6-4 win to reach the quarterfinals of the ATP event in Mexico.
His compatriots in action on Wednesday were not so lucky.
Lucky loser Jordan Thompson fell 6-4 3-6 6-0 to Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka while Ajla Tomljanovic, Kyrgios’s girlfriend, retired due to shoulder pain after dropping the first set 7-5 to Kirsten Flipkens.
Kyrgios next faces a tough test against the winner of the clash between world No.2 Novak Djokovic and Argentinian veteran Juan Martin del Potro.
“I’m looking forward to any of them, honestly,” Kyrgios said post-match.
“I think my top-10 record’s pretty good. I think I play well against the top-10 players.
“I’ve beaten nearly all of them, except for maybe Novak and (Japan’s Kei) Nishikori. So I feel comfortable playing those guys.
“This is why you play the game. You play the game to verse these players on big courts and it’s something you dream of as a little kid.”
World No.17 Kyrgios was seldom troubled against Young, claiming victory in 72 minutes despite his opponent’s easier passage to the second round.
Young, ranked 63rd in the world, progressed when Bernard Tomic withdrew from their first-round clash after the opening set.
Kyrgios beat veteran Israeli Dudi Sela in three sets on Tuesday.