The fireworks began as Kyrgios lost the first set 5-7. Kyrgios walked off the court in disgust and slammed his racket against the bench three times, resulting in an unsportsmanlike conduct warning from the umpire.
Things boiled over again in the second with Kyrgios up 2-0 in the second set with Tsitsipas leading 30-0 in the third game. As Kyrgios was wiping his hands down with a towel between points, he was called for a violation for taking too much time. That led Kyrgios to have an extended discussion with the umpire arguing against the violation:
"I can't go to my towel? I do that all the time...I'm sorry that during COVID I don't have a ball boy giving me the towel. I have to physically walk to my towel...You can't give me a code violation for that."
Despite losing his cool, Kyrgios managed to get back on track, putting together a comeback victory over the second-seeded Tsitsipas by winning the last two sets 6-2 and 6-4. Kyrgios, a wild card entry for the tournament, will face Pablo Carreno Busta in the quarterfinals.
[CNN]
Moonlighting as a blogger to pursue my interest and enjoyment of sports. Former high school and Division I athlete (now a "retired" family man) that loves watching and discussing all sports. Follow me on Twitter (@HoldoutSports) and like Holdout Sports on Facebook.
