Five sets. Screams. Frustration. Injuries. Bloody towels. Showmanship. Fair play. A brawl in the stands. Arguments with the umpires.

These were all included in Saturday night’s thrilling encounter at the Melbourne Arena between Nick Kyrgios and Karen Khachanov, that saw the 24-year-old advance by the skin of his teeth, 6-2, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (6), 6-7 (6), 7-6 (8).

There wasn’t much separating the two players and despite the fact that Kyrgios was able to get 33 aces past his opponent, the Russian somehow always found his way back into the contest.

The game started with the Greek Aussie looking confident as always and easily gaining the upper hand in the first set.

He performed the break on Khachanov’s serve and was able to tidy up nicely after taking a small medical timeout, complaining for pains on his right hamstring.
Yet things were a lot more tight from the second set onward, with neither player able to put a stop on their opponent’s serve.

This led to a tie-breaker, during which the world number 23 was able to make the break and win the set to give himself a 2-0 advantage.

During the third set, Kyrgios had two opportunities to win the game, but fumbled both of them, giving Khachanov the chance to settle things in the tie breaker where he was able to stay alive.

Yet another tie-breaker was needed in the fourth set, with both players almost evenly matched and fighting serve for serve and neither of them willing to back down.

Kyrgios’ break was then cancelled out by a Khachanov double break, with the Russian emerging as the winner of the set yet again and bringing things level at the Melbourne Arena.

It was around this time that the Greek Aussie began his usual antics, calling the umpire ‘stupid’ for giving him a time violation, as he tried to avoid giving a ball boy his bloody towel.

With both players low on energy, the final set would be decided on mere details. Eventually it would be Kyrgios who would advance, finally making the break on the Russian’s serve, on a tie-breaker that went all the way up to ten points.

It was a game that will certainly be remembered by tennis fans but unfortunately, some of them weren’t able to enjoy the fun as two of them were involved in a brawl for unknown reasons just a few minutes before the start of the game, with security stepping in and escorting them outside of the Melbourne Arena.

After the game was over, an emotionally and physically drained Kyrgios thanked the crowd for their support and congratulated his opponent, pointing out that he will go on to achieve great things, while also speaking about his next obstacle, the great Rafael Nadal:

“He [Nadal] is an amazing player, he is arguably the greatest of all time,” Kyrgios said.

“He is a champion. I will do everything I can and hopefully give everything I have and hopefully it will be enough.”

The Kyrgios-Nadal face-off that everyone has been hoping to see will take place on Monday 27 January.