It seems Nick Kyrgios is determined to turn a new leaf in 2019.
At least, that’s the assumption that can be made from his New Year’s Day performance for the Brisbane International versus Ryan Harrison.
Kyrgios was dealing with an injury after he had being stung by a spider (that was apparently so severe he needed to spent time in hospital in order to get through it), however despite all the difficulties, he managed to pull off a convincing showing at the opening day of the tournament.
This game was a repeat of last year’s final where Kyrgios had also walked away with a win against Harrison, so the American athlete had an extra reason to be motivated for this match-up, however after two hours and seven minutes of play, there was no question about who deserved to qualify.
Kyrgios managed to score 44 aces within that time frame, keeping his composure even when his opponent took the second set to draw level, and always seemed in control of the game.
He eventually went on to claim victory, 7-6, 5-7, 7-6. After this appearance, it seems that Kyrgios will be making a fresh start and will be on the spotlight more for his achievements and less for his antics in and out of the courts.
However, he attempted to downplay this performance: “I was very rusty from the back of the court, I didn’t hit too much over the break. I have fond memories here, Hopefully I can do something special again”, said Kyrgios.
After this win, Kyrgios will now move on to the second round of the Brisbane International where he will face French athlete Jeremy Chardy.
Meanwhile, for the same competition, Thanassis Kokkinakis was knocked out by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, after he was defeated 6-7, 4-6.
