From Russia to Kyrgios, with love
Nick Kyrgios said he was "surprised" to be cheered by the home crowd as he beat Russian youngster Andrey Rublev 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in the Kremlin Cup first round yesterday morning (Singapore time).
The temperamental Australian, seeded fifth in Moscow, fired 24 aces to win his first-ever meeting with the 20-year-old Rubvlev.
"I love to play indoors and we played a lot with Andrey in juniors. He's going to have a great career," Kyrgios said.
"I was surprised that the public cheered me here. It's nice. Normally when I'm not at home I'm not the most loved person but it was nice to hear some cheering. I felt almost at home here."
Kyrgios, who has slumped to 37th in the world rankings after struggling for form and fitness this year, will meet Mirza Basic in the last 16, after the Bosnian saw off Tunisia's Malek Jaziri 7-6 (7/4), 6-2.
Reigning champion Damir Dzumhur saw his title defence come to an abrupt halt with a first-round loss to Belarusian qualifier Egor Gerasimov.
The Bosnian, who won both the St Petersburg and Moscow tournaments last year, slumped to a 6-1, 6-7 (5/7), 6-2 loss to the world No. 217.
Gerasimov followed up with another win last night when he beat Benoit Paire 6-4, 6-4 to qualify for the last eight. - AFP
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now