Arthur Ashe stadium was dealt a great hand on Saturday night moving into the early hours of Sunday as veteran Tommy Robredo and young pretender Nick Kyrgios battled it out in what proved to be one of the most intriguing contests of the Championships so far.
Kyrgios’ game style enthralled the fans at Arthur Ashe to the core. We witnessed the best match he has played since his his heroics against Rafael Nadal at SW19.
Early on in the first set the young Australian took his massive game to the 32-year-old Spanaird. Kyrgios was on from the get-go, as he nailed not only his trademark take back gigantic forehands, but also backhand winners down the line to set the tone for the the first set. He cruised to a 5-0 lead over the experienced Spaniard and eventually took the first set 6-3.
The match was propelled to a higher level in the early stages of the second set, with Kyrgios producing perhaps the most productive and enthralling few minutes of tennis I’ve seen in this Open thus far. He seemed to be hitting several layers out of the ball, yet striking it on point. Twas’ truly magnificent tennis that included one of two phases where he served four aces in a single service game both down the tee and with angle on the court. He was literally taking the racquet out of Tommy Robredo’s hands for the first set and a half, but it all changed when Kyrgios failed to take advantage of break points to go 3-0 up in the 2nd set. This failure to capitalize transformed the 2nd set and more fatally, the match for Kyrgios.
Robredo’s showed guile from the back of the court, and became close to untouchable as he dialed in his best tennis including a half-volley instinctive winner from behind the baseline. This play would set the tone for the remainder of the match. Roberdo rolled back the years as he took the second set winning three games in a row to go up 6-3 and tie the match in terms of a set a piece.
The third set saw Kyrgios miss a gaping smash on break point that would have put him 5-3. Eventually they dueled into a 3rd set tiebreak where at 4-4 the Australian showed a smidgen of inexperience as he displayed his inner feelings to his opponent, throwing his racquet at such a significant moment. Kyrgios mentally checked out from the match and subsequently lost two quick points to lose the tiebreak and more importantly, the 3rd set 6-7. The occasion that promised so much seemed to be running away from the 19-year-old.
In the fourth set, Robredo re-submitted his dominance over the younger contender. He showed his experience as a four set match going into the third hour seemed to take a much bigger toll on the still developing body of Nick Kyrgios. In the latter stages of the match he began cramping which just added to the drama of the opera that was taking place on the hard court at Arthur Ashe. He barely reached at a few serves, started challenging to bide himself some time to compete with the rejuvenated Spaniard but eventually lost the last game to love as Robredo set up a date with Stanislas Wawrinka in the last 16.
It should be a lesson learnt for Kyrgios who on his first showing on Arthur Ashe and just his second senior US Open he had all the plaudits’ tongues wagging at the prosperity of his tennis in flashes. This only further reinforces the potential this player possesses. An Australian Open boys winner just a year and a half ago, he’s already accomplished commendable runs at grad slam tournaments with wins over Nadal, Richard Gasquet, and Mikhail Youzhny to name a few. Such results must be considered major successes for a 19-year-old who is still learning his trade.
Kyrgios’ power is what I’d like to describe as effortless and for that brute power to come from such a young body reiterates how big his game is and will be in a few years. The Australian’s game is too big to subside to the lower branches of the professional game, and we’ll be seeing more of Kyrgios on grass and hard courts for many years.
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