Nick Kyrgios defeated Yoshihito Nishioka 6-4, 6-3 on Sunday in the Citi Open final. With the victory, the 27-year-old has now smashed 12 aces and won 22 of 25 games on his first serve. He survived the match with only one break point.
“This is unbelievable… It’s just very emotional for me to see where I was at last year to now. It’s just an incredible transformation. I’ve been in some really dark places,” Kyrgios said after his victory.
“There are so many people who have helped me get there, but myself, I’ve shown some serious strength to just continue and just persevere and get through all those times and be able to still perform and win tournaments like this one.”
In the evening, Kyrgios returned to the arena to compete alongside Jack Sock for a doubles trophy. They defeated French Open finalists Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek 7-5, 6-4. With his second win that day, Kyrgios became the first player to win the singles and doubles championships in Washington in the same year.
“I don’t care about what people say about my tennis, like, ‘Always disrespectful to the sport,’ all this, all that,” said Kyrgios.
“I know that, deep down, I try really hard to do it my own way. I know that I inspire millions of people, and I’m just playing for them. Hopefully. I can keep this momentum going.”
Nishioka praised his Australian opponent, saying he was “more focused” than he used to. “I couldn’t figure out his service game,” Nishioka said.
Liudmila Samsonova claims women’s title
On the other side of the court, Liudmila Samsonova defeated sixth-seeded Kaia Kanepi 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the women’s final to win the second WTA championship of her career.
The 23-year-old had a career-high ranking of 25 in May, but she is now ranked 60th after being forced to skip Wimbledon due to the current Russian invasion of Ukraine. Earlier, she triumphed over reigning U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu.
Samsonova held 13 of 14 services, including all nine in the second and third sets. She recorded a strong serve that reached 119 mph against Kanepi.
At 5-4 in the first game, Kanepi made her only break from the contest.
Near the conclusion of the final set, the 37-year-old Estonian started to show a decrease in performance, and Samsonova had little issue ending the match after 1 hour and 47 minutes.
The Russian had already won on Berlin’s grass the previous summer, but this was Russia’s first final on a hard court. The win came after Samsonova doubted she would be able to compete on American hard courts earlier this summer.
“I think we are all very angry about the situation. It was a really tough month,” said Samsonova.
“A few weeks ago I didn’t have the visa to come to the United States, so it’s amazing to be here and to win the title. Thank you so much to the crowd for the amazing atmosphere. You’re amazing, guys, seriously.”
Kyrgios’ victory was broadcast on Tennis Channel, which chose to air pickleball instead of the women’s final due to a prior commitment, according to event director Mark Ein.