Kyrgios' win over Federer highlights wild day in Madrid

May 7, 2015 Ricky Match recaps 0

The Mutua Madrid Open had it all on Wednesday. A marathon in a marquee women’s matchup (Serena Williams saved three match points in a win over Victoria Azarenka), hometown dominance (five Spanish men advanced to the last 16, including upsets by Marcel Granollers and Fernando Verdasco), and a 3:00 a.m. finish (Andy Murray vs. Philipp Kohlschreiber).

And, oh yeah, it also had Roger Federer vs. Nick Kyrgios.

In a thriller that won’t soon be forgotten, Kyrgios fought off two match points and needed six of his own before pulling off a huge 6-7(2), 7-6(5), 7-6(12) victory in two hours and 37 minutes.

The 20-year-old Austrian had to overcome plenty of adversity en route to one of the biggest wins of his blossoming career. Drama started in the first-set tiebreaker, complete with broken rackets, terrible line calls, and a heated argument with Mohamed Lahyani. After losing the ‘breaker seven points to two, Kyrgios fell behind by a quick break in the second. But he broke right back and eventually forced tiebreakers in both the second and third sets.

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As the score indicates, the third of three consecutive ‘breakers was by far the most dramatic. Kyrgios saved match points on his serve at 6-7 and 10-11. Federer fended off match points at 5-6, 7-8, 8-9, 9-10, and 11-12. It finally ended on an errant forehand by the 33-year-old Swiss.

“Before the match I didn’t feel nervous or anything like that,” Kyrgios commented. “I was just excited to get out to the court. I’ve been playing well recently on the clay, so I knew I had a good chance to go out there and do well. I stuck to my game and served well and I got the win.”“He likes the big stage,” Federer said of his opponent. “He’s got nothing to lose, no fear, and he’s got a great game. He can rely on his serve so much. It keeps him in the match regardless of he how he plays from the baseline…. My problem was I couldn’t return his first serve.”
Speaking of big serving, Kyrgios will go up against John Isner for the first time in his career on Thursday.
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