Nick Kyrgios fell short in one of the best chances he’ll ever have to win a Grand Slam, and it clearly hit home.
Now the world is wondering what comes next for the mercurial Australian.
Having demolished world number one Daniil Medvedev in arguably his finest-ever performance, and with Rafael Nadal already ousted in the fourth round and Novak Djokovic absent, Kyrgios was suddenly odds-on favourite to finally break through for a major title.
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Writing of his victory over Medvedev, Matthew Futterman stated in the New York Times: “The performance was among the best matches Kyrgios, 27, has ever played at a Grand Slam tournament, if not the best. In those final two sets, in game after game, Kyrgios all but hit Medvedev off the court.
“There was little doubt when the match ended that if Kyrgios could continue playing at that level, it was unlikely anyone in the field would be capable of stopping him from winning his first Grand Slam singles title in a career marked by wild swings of brilliance and blowups.”
He added: “This U.S. Open offered him the best opportunity of his career to win a Grand Slam singles title.”
It’s a theme that has been repeated world-wide.
“This is a deeply disappointing result for Kyrgios as the draw was wide open here after the exits of the 22-times grand slam winner Rafael Nadal and the defending champion Daniil Medvedev earlier this week,” The Times’ Stuart Fraser wrote.
“The level of tennis that the Wimbledon runner-up has produced in recent months is no doubt the best of his career, but he now heads back to his Canberra home without a piece of major silverware to show for this long trip.”
Indeed, no one had won more Tour matches since June than Kyrgios – only for him to simply not come close to the level he produced against Medvedev.
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Peter Fitzsimmons wrote in the Sydney Morning Herald: “Just when it seemed like Nick Kyrgios had the whole world at his feet with a spot in the semi-finals of the US Open at his mercy if he could just beat the Russian, Karen Khachanov, it all faded away.”
He added: “From the beginning, our bloke never remotely looked like the same player who had, almost effortlessly, destroyed the world No.1 and defending US Open champion, Daniil Medvedev two days earlier.”
Perhaps it was no surprise that Kyrgios could not match his level from the fourth round. As Futterman wrote in the NY Times: “The only consistencies in Kyrgios’s game and the mind that rules it though are their unpredictability, and how irresistible tennis fans find it.”
Kyrgios rode his usual rollercoaster of emotions throughout the match, while Kachanov stayed cool despite the crowd being firmly against him.
Rory Carroll wrote for Reuters: “Khachanov was better in the intense match’s biggest moments, saving seven of the nine break points he faced, often with his thundering serve.”
After match point, Kyrgios’ emotions exploded in a wild tantrum which saw him smash two rackets (having already smashed one mid-match).
The Sun wrote: “When the match was over, Kyrgios broke two rackets and spat in the direction of his box — it was unacceptable behaviour from a very sore loser.”
“It’s painful,” Khachanov said of Kyrgios’ reaction. “I think it hurts for him or it would be the same for me if I would lose that match. It’s never easy to lose five sets because you give your best, you give your best throughout the whole match, then it’s never easy to accept the defeat.
“To be honest, I didn’t look at him after we shaked hands. I saw after the racquets were flying. But I feel the pain for him, yeah.”
Kyrgios is unlikely to play for the remainder of the season, declaring: “Honestly I don’t even really care about any other tournament.”
But for all the talk that Kyrgios wasted his greatest chance at Grand Slam glory, there were certainly positive signs – chief among them just how much he cared.
AFL journalist Michael Whiting wrote on Twitter: “Lots saying “Kyrgios is angry because he knows that’s his best chance to win a slam”, which I totally agree with.
“However, on recent evidence, is it fair now that he’ll likely put himself in with a genuine chance in most slams. How many out of his reach?”
As FitzSimons wrote: “See, despite the disappointment of this last match, at least Kyrgios himself now seems to acknowledge what everyone else has talked about for years: just what a staggering pity it will be if one of his phenomenal talent doesn’t notch up a major or two along the way.
“Despite this last loss, he actually has changed that narrative a little.”
