Photograph: ATP
Kyrgios Lifts First Title Since 2019
Nick Kyrgios is an ATP singles champion once again after cruising to the title at the Citi Open in Washington against Yoshihito Nishioka.
The Wimbledon finalist continued his rich vein of form with a convincing 6-4, 6-3 victory over his Japanese opponent in just one hour and 21 minutes. The win saw Kygrios claim his seventh ATP singles title and his first since 2019, which also happened to be the Citi Open in Washington.
A lot has changed for the Australian since defeating Daniil Medvedev in that 2019 decider in Washington. He has dealt with a host of off-field issues before returning to the court in 2022 with a renewed sense of focus and purpose.
Kyrgios is in some of the best form of his career and has won 18 of his last 21 matches in a stretch that’s yielded two semi-final appearances, a final at Wimbledon and now a title in Washington.
Speaking after the match, Kyrgios touched on his personal transformation that’s led to arguably the best tennis of his career.
"It's just very emotional for me," he said in a post-match interview.
"To see where I was at last year to now, it's just an incredible transformation. I just came out with great energy. I knew that I had experience on my side today. I love this court, I've played so many good matches here, so I'm just really happy with myself.
"I've been in some really dark places. Just to be able to turn it around...there are so many people who have helped me get there, but myself, I've shown some serious strength to just continue and persevere and get through all those times and be able to still perform and win tournaments like this one."
The Aussie was on from the moment he stepped onto the court against Nishioka in the final, breaking early in both sets to pave his way to a simple victory.
Kyrgios now holds a 5-0 head-to-head lead over Nishioka in a stretch dating all the way back to 2014.
The title in Washington was the crowning moment of an outstanding week for the Aussie. Kyrgios didn’t drop his serve all week and only lost one set for the tournament, coming in an epic with Frances Tiafoe in which he also saved five match points.
The victory sees him shoot up to No. 37 in the live ATP rankings.
And as if the week couldn’t get any better for the Australian, he teamed up with good friend Jack Sock to take out the doubles crown in Washington.
The pair capped off a great week by defeating Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek 7-5, 6-4 to claim their second title as a duo, with the first coming in Lyon in 2018.
Photograph: Getty Images
Medvedev Back on Winners’ List
World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev won his first title of the year after defeating Britain’s Cameron Norrie to claim the Abierto de Tenis Mifel in Los Cabos, Mexico.
It was a devastating return to form for Medvedev who didn’t drop a set for the whole tournament and steamrolled Norrie 7-5, 6-0 in the final.
Surprisingly, it’s Medvedev’s first title since lifting the 2021 US Open and his 14th at tour level. It’s certainly not Medvedev’s biggest or best triumph, but it’s an important psychological victory heading into the US Open at the end of the month.
Before his victory in Los Cabos, Medvedev was on a five-final losing streak which dates back to the final of the Paris Masters at the end of 2021.
Speaking after the match, Medvedev was delighted to have broken the streak.
“Every match was very good, but the final is always special,” Medvedev said in his on-court interview.
“In the final, you play the best player of this week, so it’s always a high-level match and I’m really happy that I managed to show some good level, some good shots in such an important match.”
“The good thing about tennis is that in one week you can turn around your season,” added Medvedev in his post-match press conference. “Coming here I had lost five finals in a row. That’s not nice, I want to do better.
“You never know if it’s going to happen or not, and for sure before this final I was a little bit nervous, a little bit more than usual. But now I’m really happy [to have won one].
“It was not easy. Cam is an amazing player, so it was really intense.
“When you play against Cam, you know that you have to fight for every point.”
Medvedev will now turn his attention to the National Bank Open in Montreal where he is the defending champion.