Zverev beats Kyrgios to help Germany advance in Davis Cup
Germany's Alexander Zverev defeated Nick Kyrgios in straight sets to give his country a 3-1 win over Australia in their Davis Cup world group tie and seal a last-eight spot in Brisbane yesterday.
World No. 4 Zverev produced some superb tennis to down Kyrgios 6-2, 7-6 (7/3), 6-2 in one hour and 48 minutes.
Zverev, 20, served beautifully throughout, facing only two break-points in the match, both at the end of the second set and both of which he saved.
He also returned well, getting many of Kyrgios' thunderbolts back in play and then winning the battle from the back of the court.
"It's awesome, it's an amazing feeling and, without my teammates, it wouldn't have been possible," Zverev said.
"Obviously, we're happy but hopefully this is just the beginning for us."
Kyrgios, 22, went into the match full of expectation after an impressive win over Jan-Lennard Struff in Friday's opening singles.
Zverev, on the other hand, had looked out of touch last Friday and was pushed for almost four hours before seeing off 18-year-old Alex de Minaur in five sets.
But following the Germany win in the doubles on Saturday to give them a 2-1 lead, all the pressure was on Kyrgios, who had to win to keep the tie alive.
The mercurial Australian opened brilliantly, holding his serve to love, much to the delight of the boisterous home crowd.
But that was almost as good as it got for the Australian team, as Kyrgios lost two of his next three service games to surrender the opening set in just 23 minutes.
Meanwhile, two former champions have crashed out.
Serbia, the 2010 winners, were trailing 3-0 to a United States team led by Jim Courier, while 2014 champions Switzerland, playing without 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer, lost 4-1 to Kazakhstan. - AFP
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