Nationalbank Open Nick Kyrgios shows no mercy to Alex de

Nationalbank Open: Nick Kyrgios shows no mercy to Alex de Minaur

Nick Kyrgios’ fabulous run continued in Montreal on Thursday as he was merciless for fellow countryman Alex de Minaur, whom he defeated 6-2, 6-3 in straight straight sets.

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This one-sided Australian duel ended after just 61 minutes of play.

As soon as the curtain rose, Kyrgios confirmed his ambitions by winning the opening four games and his rival, ranked 21st in the world, was never able to reply after that.

In the second set, de Minaur got closer to 2-3 by breaking Kyrgios’ serve, but the latter put it out to level the score at 5-2 and never worry again.

“It’s never easy to face a good friend who is also a compatriot,” Kyrgios said at a press conference. I knew he would come onto the pitch with confidence, especially since he recently won a tournament in Atlanta. »

“My game plan was respected, it worked well. In fact, I’m very happy with the quality of my game, yes I’m tired after all these games, but I won’t give up if my health allows it. »

Unbeaten since Wimbledon

Kyrgios is undoubtedly enjoying the best moments of his career, having gone unbeaten since losing the Wimbledon final to Novak Djokovic on July 10.

He signed a ninth straight win on Thursday and a 15th in his last 16 games. On Friday in Montreal he meets the eighth seed, the Pole Hubert Hurkacz, who defeated the Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas in three sets 6: 7 (6), 6: 2 and 7: 6 (3).

Kyrgios, who currently ranks 37th in the ATP, is guaranteed to move up at least 10 places by the end of the National Bank Open, regardless of his career path, when the new world rankings are released on Monday.

To make up for a schedule disrupted by the rain, organizers were forced to move this expected meeting from Center Court to Rogers Court, a decision not to please all the spectators in attendance.

Four and a half hours later

In another encounter, Casper Ruud fought hard for the right to face Quebec’s Félix Auger-Aliassime in the quarterfinals.

The fourth-seeded Norwegian defeated Roberto Bautista Agut in straight sets 6-7(4) 7-6(4) 6-4 about four and a half hours after their nearly hour-long duel in the rain.

That break will have been profitable for Ruud, who was able to improve his level of play after losing the first set to take revenge against his Spanish rivals in the second. Some victorious setbacks on his part led in particular to the loss of his opponent.

The top two players

In the third set, Bautista Agut, more unstable, could not resist the more intense punches of the one who played in the Miami Masters final last April.

“This fight wasn’t easy, the winner admitted. Luckily the rain allowed me to get some energy. The break was healthy for me. »

Thus, Friday’s game will face Ruud (4th) and Auger-Aliassime (6th), the two highest-ranked players at the National Bank Open since the early exit of Daniil Medvedev (1), Carlos Alcaraz (2), Stefanos Tsitsipas (3) and Andrey Rublev (5).