Thanasi Kokkinakis picked up the biggest win of his career in the Miami Open second round, upsetting world No. 1 Roger Federer 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(4). What a difference two days make.
Enduring a far less fun day the office, Kokkinakis came out on the losing end of a heated contest with Fernando Verdasco. Complete with a testy exchange during one changeover, the Verdasco-Kokkinakis encounter ultimately ended with the Spaniard prevailing 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(4) after two hours and 54 minutes.
"That's my fucking dad."
Kokkinakis-Verdasco getting…toasty. pic.twitter.com/xUNgLYWGvl
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) March 26, 2018
Nick Kyrgios, Kokkinakis’ good friend and fellow Australian who never shies away from controversy, threw himself into the mix after watching the above incident. In a tweet he later deleted, Kyrgios wrote, “I hope TK wins this match, Verdasco is the saltiest dude…. must be frustrated at his past success against Aussies.”
The 34-year-old wasted no time responding, and he apparently blocked Kyrgios on Twitter as well.
@NickKyrgios when you have the courage to put a tweet insulting another player you need to have the same to don’t delete it.
— Fernando Verdasco (@FerVerdasco) March 26, 2018
A spicy Kyrgios-Verdasco encounter could come later in the tournament, but not until the semifinals. The world No. 20 booked his spot in the last 16 by beating Fabio Fognini 6-3, 6-3 on Monday afternoon.
“I knew it was going to be tough,” Kyrgios said of the Italian. “He has a lot of tricks up his sleeve and he’s very unpredictable. I knew I just had to serve well, play aggressive, and keep the points short. When he gets in a rhythm he’s pretty dangerous.”
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