DON NAKASHIMA FOR FIRST MAJOR SINGLES QUARTERFINAL BERTH SINCE 2015
DON NAKASHIMA FOR FIRST MAJOR SINGLES QUARTERFINAL BERTH SINCE 2015. The Australian pushed through the 20-year-old and a right shoulder injury to advance, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-2, on Monday at the All England Club.
WATCH HIGHLIGHTS
Nick Kyrgios made it to the quarterfinals at Wimbledon for the first time in eight years less than 48 hours after beating Stefanos Tsitsipas in a fiery contest.
It was an epic five-set struggle between Nick Kyrgios and Brandon Nakashima at the All England Club as Kyrgios prevailed 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-2. Prior to that, he beat Paul Jubb in a decisive set last week to open his campaign. Cristian Garin, the Spaniard who saved two set points to deny Alex de Minaur, will be Kyrgios’ first-ever major singles semifinal opponent (10-6).
“I’ve been playing a lot of tennis recently. I’m just proud of how I managed to keep the ship in the right direction “On the court, Kyrgios made the following statement: “When he came out swinging in the fourth set, he showed no signs of letting up on his intensity. This is a really respectable record for me in five-set matches. Since I’ve never lost a five-set match at this tournament, that’s what I was thinking. Again, it was a familiar place, a familiar experience.”
His tone at the start of his first appearance on Centre Court was a dramatic contrast to that of Nick Kyrgios in the previous round. As the tension built, neither player looked for a way to relax in the opening nine games.
Prior to serving, Kyrgios was seen holding his right shoulder. He was down 0-40 after three deep returns from the American, and Kyrgios ended the set with a long forehand.
Nakashima’s service was broken for the opening time after two doubles errors and a shanked mid-court forehand. After that, Kyrgios sought advice from a physiotherapist about his arm problem. He was heard to say, “I only wanted some pills.” Consolidating at love, Kyrgios used the momentum to level the match.
Withdraw from the men’s doubles event
A medical timeout was taken by Kyrgios at the five-game mark of the third set to undergo treatment. Two further rubdowns were given during the following two switchovers as well.
“It’s not my cup of tea. A quick massage at halftime is a sign of complacency in my book,” BBC match announcer Tim Henman observed as the game came to a close.
Kyrgios capitalized on Nakashima’s double fault in the first mini-break of the tiebreak. The 27-year-old was catapulted to his first lead on the scoreboard with booming backhand and forehand victories.
After Kyrgios’ back-to-back forehand errors tied the match at 3-3, Nakashima had a 15-40 chance to break the tie. When Kyrgios missed with a decelerating backhand, the San Diego native broke with a powerful forehand comeback.
Kyrgios served two games later after a tantrum thrown at his box preceding an enigmatic end to the set. Lazy errors left him in a 40-40 deficit, and while an underhand serve worked out in the end, a mistimed forehand at 30-40 ensured that a deciding would be necessary.
The drought is over
Nakashima was undone in the fifth game after he blew a 40-15 lead on service and a pair of contrasting strokes from the opposition. It was a three-hour, 11-minute marathon, but Nick Kyrgios sprinted across the finish line to secure the victory with a backhand return and a clever forehand slice that forced an error.
Nakashima, “He probably played some of his best tennis in the fifth set,” Nakashima said during his post-match press conference.
With 35 aces and three double faults, Kyrgios came out on top by a narrow margin of five points.
“I think I need some wine tonight,” he joked to the audience’s amusement.
The first meeting between Kyrgios and Garin is scheduled. Despite the fact that he was supposed to face Matteo Berrettini in the first round, the Chilean has made the most of the circumstances beyond his control. After winning two grass-court tournaments, the Italian came to London and withdrew after testing positive for COVID-19.
DON NAKASHIMA FOR FIRST MAJOR SINGLES QUARTERFINAL BERTH SINCE 2015