News

Nick Kyrgios, Rafael Nadal Reach Australian Open Quarterfinals [VIDEO]

Nick Kyrgios and Rafael Nadal both secured third-round victories in Melbourne on Friday to reach the 2018 Australian Open quarterfinals.

Australian Open Round Three Highlights news

Kyrgios won three tiebreaks in a close, four-set match against 32-year-old Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to earn a 7-6(5) 4-6 7-6(6) 7-6(5) victory in 3 hours, 17 minutes.

The 22-year-old Australian (the No. 17 seed) said the 15th-seeded Tsonga was one of his idols growing up.

“Playing Jo I was obviously very nervous,” said Kyrgios, whose win on Friday was his first at Rod Laver Arena. “He was a guy that I looked up to as a kid. I still do. He is a champion of the game. I am happy to get through.”

Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter!

A week of sports news in your in-box.
We find the sports news you need to know, so you don't have to.

Kyrgios will next face Bulgarian third-seed Grigor Dimitrov.


The match between the pair was not devoid of tense incidents and general misbehavior, however. Kyrgios received a code violation before the match even began for not being prepared in time. Then, Tsonga had an outburst in the fourth set.

Tsonga began arguing with chair umpire Jake Garner after the first game of the fourth set.

The Frenchman was speaking in his native tongue, and reportedly said, “bring him here, he needs to come down here”.

This prompted Garner to repeatedly tell Tsonga “you have to stop, you have to stop. Nothing good can come from it. You have to stop” before handing down a code violation.

“Because on the set point, in between the first serve and the second, the guy was talking to me and telling me, ‘You are under pressure now, you are under pressure now,’ when I was bouncing my balls,” Tsonga said.

“That’s it. I lost it and I drive a little bit crazy. It’s not fair. It’s not fair.”

Tsonga added that he believed the fan simply felt “safe” and spoke that way because he was high up in the stands.

Among the celebrities who attended the match was actor Will Smith, who was treated to loud applause from fans when featured on the big screen. Music from the movie “Men in Black” also accompanied this moment once or twice.

Kyrgios confessed he was starstruck upon seeing Smith in the crowd.

Meanwhile, Nadal handily routed 28th-seeded Bosnian Damir Dzumhur 6-1, 6-3, 6-1 on Friday. The 31-year-old top-seeded Spaniard will play 24th-seeded Argentine Diego Schwartzman in the quarterfinals on Saturday.

Nadal is now fourth in the Open Era in terms of most majors won (17) while conceding no more than five games to an opponent.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – JANUARY 18: Nick Kyrgios of Australia serves in his second round match against Andreas Seppi of Italy on day three of the 2017 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 18, 2017 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

Pablo Mena

Writer and assistant editor for usports.org. NY Giants and Rangers fan. Film and TV enthusiast (especially Harry Potter and The Office) and lover of foreign languages and cultures.

Recent Posts

VIDEO: Nike Pays Tribute to Rafael Nadal With 30-Foot Projection In Front of Eiffel Tower

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/tny--EWynOQ Nike paid tribute to Spanish tennis legend Rafael Nadal with a 10-meter-tall animated display…

16 hours ago

VIDEO: Rafael Nadal Gets Emotional Tribute as He Retires From Tennis

https://youtu.be/dtJoJz9hC48 Tennis legend Rafael Nadal bid a heartfelt goodbye to his devoted Spanish fans as he brought…

17 hours ago

VIDEO EXCLUSIVE: U.S. Olympic Fencer Eli Dershwitz Explains The Art Of Fencing

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/DQ9Rxhnuer4 U.S. Olympic fencer Eli Dershwitz shed light on the critical skills necessary in fencing…

2 days ago

Two Bears Offensive Linemen Return To Practice, Caleb Williams Desperate For Blocking

Two offensive linemen for the Chicago Bears returned to practice, a massive step in the…

3 days ago

VIDEO: UFC Heavyweight Champion Performs Viral Trump Dance In New York

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/s2g9t_33Myw President-elect Donald Trump received a warm welcome from Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighter Jon…

4 days ago

Aaron Rodgers Expresses Interest In 2025 Return, But The Jets Have Bigger Problems

Reporters asked quarterback Aaron Rodgers if he intended to return to the New York Jets…

4 days ago