Nick Kyrgios’ week in Washington was event-filled and built to a crescendo on Sunday when he played against top seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas, the same player he had played doubles with earlier in the week.
Kyrgios managed to claim the opening set of 6-4, but began to fall off in the second set, leading 2-0 before he lost momentum.
The cheers of the crowd began to annoy Kyrgios, who then began swearing so much that the commentators had to apologise for the file language picked up by the on court microphones.
His frustration caused him to smash his racquet onto the court, copping a point violation for the outburst.
As Kyrgios continued his verbal tirade, Tsitsipas claimed the second set 6-3.
READ MORE: The reason behind Tsitsipas-Kyrgios doubles pairing for Washington Citi Open
In the last set, Kyrgios continued words with the crowd, asking them where he should serve in his last game.
The match then was delayed as Tsitsipas had a problem with shoe laces. There was a delay when he couldn’t find spare shoes in his back and these were caught by Kyrgios. Moments late, the same problem with the laces arose, and it seems to be an ongoing issue during this tournament. At some point, the cameras even caught Tsitsipas’ dad taking off his own shoelaces and handing these over.
Another unusual element in the game was Kyrgios unusual pre-game preparation. While most pros do stretching, Kyrgios was spotted playing table tennis against the kids – enjoying the game as much as they were.
Kyrgios ended up walking away with the win after a highly suspenseful encounter, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (9-7).