Seven-time ATP Tour singles winner Nick Kyrgios beat Benjamin Bonzi (rank 50) after dropping the third set in a 7-6 (7/3), 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 victory.
Kyrgios said that he was impressed with Bonzi’s performance on the court. He said that the matches were very close and that the series “could have gone either way.” The Australian played the fourth set riskier than normal which gave him the edge to win the series.
Volley game on point from @NickKyrgios ❗ pic.twitter.com/a6mxWYHQ8c
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 31, 2022
“I wasn’t going out there expecting him to not be good or something. But his level was really, really good. It was one of those matches where you kind of survive,” Kyrgios said, as per Yahoo Sports.
“I was literally hanging by a thread. His level today was incredible. Honestly I was not expecting an absolute war. That could have gone either way. I played some really risky tennis in that fourth set to get the win. I’m just really happy to get through.”
Mood.@NickKyrgios | #USOpen pic.twitter.com/g2KUybNDBL
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 31, 2022
Another complication with the match was Kyrgios complaining about the crowd’s behavior. The tennis player explained that he had asthma and could smell marijuana from the crowd. When it was suggested to him that the smell was due to food from the kitchens, he denied the explanation.
“If it was food smells, I wouldn’t be complaining,” said Kyrgios to umpire Jaume Campistol.
In response to Kyrgios’ complaint, Campistol asked the crowd to “refrain from smoking around the court” for the players’ sake. The same match also saw Kyrgios given another code violation for his behavior during the third set which he lost. The player appeared to spit towards his box and cussed out his team after suffering a break of serve.
Nick Kyrgios’ routine implosion is taking place as we speak.
The Aussie has just been broken in the third set before proceeding to spit in the direction of his box and scream out “go home if you’re not going to fucking support me bro.”
Bonzi holds. Kyrgios leads 2-1.#USOpen
— Tom Young (@TomYoungSJ) August 31, 2022
Expectation on Kyrgios
Kyrgios discussed how the pressure to perform was affecting him, ever since Wimbledon. He said that he had a crisis of identity because he didn’t feel like the type of player that could constantly play at the top level all the time. The player was surprised at how high his expectations for himself were, which caused him a lot of stress.
“I’ve got to probably lower the expectation of expecting to play like a Wimbledon final every time. I almost don’t know who I am any more, to be honest, because that’s not me,” said Kyrgios.
“I feel like I’m really professional right now. I never thought the Wimbledon final would make me that way. I thought it would be the other way, the reverse, almost a bit lax and a bit chilled with it,”
As stressful as the expectations are, Kyrgios admitted that it was pushing him to play better than ever. The fact that people are expecting him to perform well is giving him confidence and has elevated his play.
“It’s made life more stressful. Every tournament I play now I’m expecting to play amazing tennis every time. But I’d rather have that pressure and the expectation to go far”, added Kyrgios. “… compared to last year I’m much more confident. I feel like I’m playing some of the best tennis in my life.”
Kyrgios will face the unseeded American JJ Wolf for his next match.