Russia’s Andrey Rublev has defeated Nick Kyrgios in a rollercoaster 3rd round match at the US Open. 21-year-old Rublev downed the Aussie in straights sets, 7-6, 7-6, 6-3, inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, but not without a healthy dose of drama.
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Kyrgios required eyedrops from a physio just 3 games in after complaining about poor vision due to Arthur Ashe Stadium’s lights. “I throw the ball up in the air and I can’t see for, like, 30 seconds after,” he said.
Following this, a linesperson dobbed on him for apparently swearing. Kyrgios then dubbed said linesperson a “whistleblower”, before telling the umpire, “I said I can’t see a thing. That’s all I said.”
In the second set, the Aussie #1 then blamed ye ol’ trusty Call of Duty for his poor eyesight.
“I can’t see. Call of Duty has ruined me – I can’t see,” he said in the second set. “I don’t know what to do, bro. I can’t see. I low key can’t see.”
“I don’t even want to be here, bro,” he lated added. “I just wanna be home”.
Despite his loss, Kyrgios served a whopping 30 aces throughout the match, including one lightning game in which he produced 4 consecutive aces.
“He played great tonight,” Kyrgios said of Rublev after the match. “Was super aggressive. I never felt comfortable.”
Alex de Minaur and Ash Barty are the final two remaining Aussies in the men’s and women’s draws. de Minaur defeated 7th seed Kei Nishikori 6-2, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 and will now face Grigor Dimitrov in the 4th round.
World #2 and Roland Garros reigning champion Ash Barty beat Maria Sakkari 7-5, 6-3. China’s Qiang Wang is up next.
Barty is now one round away from a potential, and much-anticipated, match-up against GOAT Serena Williams.
