Nick Kyrgios shocks Milos Raonic in third round at Wimbledon
LONDON — "I don't fear anyone."
Nick Kyrgios is as brash as he is talented, the young Australian notching another big win on a big stage on Friday at Wimbledon, when he knocked out No. 7 seed Milos Raonic in a battle of serves – and sleeves.
Here's how it happened.
Scorelines: [26] Nick Kyrgios (AUS) def. [7] Milos Raonic (CAN) 5-7, 7-5, 7-6(3), 6-3
It was the popcorn tennis match of the day for many here, and a rematch of their quarterfinal encounter from a year ago after which Kyrgios had shocked Rafael Nadal in the fourth round. But this time it was Kyrgios who came out on top in a battle of big servers, the 21 year old knocking down 34 aces to 18 from Raonic.
Love him? Hate him? Either or, he doesn't care. Kyrgios, with a hipster haircut and a penchant for letting his mouth run on court, might be the most divisive personality to arrive in tennis in over a decade. Friday he didn't fail in that regard, chucking his racket at one point as it bounced up into the stands, and screaming out after letting out shot after shot that could have built their own SportsCenter Top 10 reel.
What it means: Kyrgios now meets Richard Gasquet in the fourth round and continues to cement himself as one of the must-watch players of tennis' next generation. Gasquet squandered nine match points (nine!) in their meeting here a year ago, in which Kyrgios came back from two sets down and helped light a fuel in his Wimbledon run.
Now embedded inside the top 30, the Australian will get a chance to reach a third quarterfinal in five majors, having lost to Andy Murray in the round of eight in Melbourne earlier this year.
Is he the sport's next big thing? So far, he's proving yes, he is.
How it happened: Kyrgios dropped serve to love in the first set when serving to stay in it at 5-6 down, double faulting three times and cursing himself for the falter. But that was the only moment of (tennis) immaturity he showed on this day, breaking Raonic for the first time in the match to claim the second set and then out-playing his slower opponent in the third-set tiebreak to take the lead.
PHOTOS: TOP SHOTS AT WIMBLEDON