Kyrgios Crowned King in Acapulco
There are plenty of ways of silencing your critics, but Nick Kyrgios certainly chose the best method by storming to a 5th career title in Acapulco. The Aussie 23-year-old beat World Number 3 Alexander Zverev 6-3 6-4 in a relatively tight final in just under 90 minutes. This came after impressive victories over Seppi, Nadal, Wawrinka and Isner, with Kyrgios battlingfood poisoning and injuries as well as tough opponents.
Of course, this is Nick Kyrgios we are talking about, so these amazing wins didn’t come without controversy. Rafael Nadal cut a furious figure after his loss to Kyrgios, with the pair exchanging a cold handshake at the end of the match and with Nadal then going on to say that Kyrgios ‘lacks respect for the public, his opponents and himself’. On this occasion it would seem that Nadal was in the wrong, Kyrgios having done very little in their match to deserve such a scolding, save for a tactically sound underarm serve which nearly caught the World Number 2 off guard. Kyrgios let his tennis do the talking in the next few rounds, fighting past Stan Wawrinka and John Isner before an easier final against Alex Zverev.
“I’m very lucky to be in this position. I need to be way more disciplined, way better professionally and do the right things.” “I don’t even have a coach, so maybe I start there.The crowd created the atmosphere every day. It was the best atmosphere I’ve ever played in. They were booing me and I still enjoyed playing and being here,” said Kyrgios. “They created the emotions, the memories, the event. It was amazing.”
If Nick Kyrgios can keep up this level of tennis, he will surely win titles even bigger than Acapulco. However, it remains to be seen whether the Aussie can keep himself fit, both mentally and physically.
Meanwhile Roger Federer continued his hobby of making history by becoming only the second ATP player to reach 100 singles titles. This comes nearly 18 years after he collected his first title as a 19-year-old in Milan in 2001. He avenged his 4th Round Australian Open defeat by crushing rising star Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4 6-4 in a straightforward victory in Dubai. Federer is still behind the all-time leading winner of titles Jimmy Connors, whose record of 109 titles still look unbreakable.
“It’s been a long, wonderful journey… I have loved every minute,” Federer said on court after his victory. “It’s been tough but the sacrifice has been very, very worthwhile and we’ll see how much more I’ve got left in the tank. Reaching 100 is an absolute dream come true for me.”
Federer claimed his 8th title in Dubai, and has now won 8 titles in 4 separate events (Wimbledon, Halle, Basel and Dubai).
Written by Emre Saridogan