Britain's Cameron Norrie joins Kyrgios in quarter-finals; top seed Sloane Stephens dumped out of women's event by Brazilian qualifier Beatriz Haddad Maia
Thursday 28 February 2019 12:55, UK
Nick Kyrgios battled back from a set down to save three match points and beat Rafael Nadal in more than three hours of dramatic action at the Mexico Open.
The Australian, who has dropped to 72nd in the world rankings, also overcame a bout of nausea and a stiff back on the way to stunning Nadal 3-6 7-6 (7-2) 7-6 (8-6) to reach the last eight in Acapulco on Wednesday.
Top seed Nadal, twice a champion at the event, took only one of his 10 break-point chances and failed to put the match away despite leading 6-3 in the final set tiebreak, before Kyrgios reeled off five straight points to seal the victory in front of a lively crowd.
After dropping the first set, Kyrgios called for the trainer and said that he felt sick, but would play on as he feared the media would "blow it up".
He returned to the court for the second set and immediately looked a different player, revelling in the atmosphere that caused a frustrated Nadal to call for the crowd to quieten down.
That request received backing from Kyrgios, who screamed "shut up" together with an expletive that brought him a subsequent warning from the umpire.
After calling for the trainer again between the second and third sets due to a sore back, Kyrgios then saved five break points in the sixth game of the final set. He got out of jail again in the deciding tiebreak, particularly on the second match point when his volley caught the tape but toppled over and landed on the line.
Kyrgios will next face Swiss star Stan Wawrinka, who continued his return to form this season with a straight-sets win over American Steve Johnson, while Mackenzie McDonald fared better in the battle of his fellow countrymen by defeating Frances Tiafoe in straight sets.
McDonald next faces British No 2 Cameron Norrie, who knocked out fourth seed Diego Schwartzman, while the matches between John Isner and John Millman, and Alexander Zverev face Alex de Minaur, complete the quarter-final line-up.
There was also a huge shock in the women's event, as Brazilian qualifier Beatriz Haddad Maia produced an inspired display to beat Sloane Stephens in straight sets.
An early break from Stephens put her 1-0 up at the start of the second-round match, but Haddad Maia immediately recovered to level the set before edging ahead at 4-2.
At the start of the second set, it was the Brazilian's turn to take an early break, and she continued the momentum to clinch a convincing 6-3 6-3 victory on her second match point and set up a clash with Wang Yafan.
Joining her in the quarter-finals in Acapulco is former world No 1 Victoria Azarenka, who dismissed Germany's Tatjana Maria 6-2 6-1 after firing 20 winners six breaks of serve to triumph in just 84 minutes.
Azarenka will next meet Sofia Kenin, while Zheng Saisai takes on Bianca Andreescu and Britain's Johanna Konta faces third seed Donna Vekic.
We have the tennis season covered from all angles via our website skysports.com/tennis. On the move? Head to our app for mobile devices and iPad, or follow our Twitter account @SkySportsTennis to join in the conversation.
