Nick Kyrgios produced a performance that had it all - unbelievable tennis, fights with officials, obscenities, smashed racquets - as he defeated world no.6 Stefanos Tsitsipas in the second round at the ATP Halle 500.
The Australian recovered from losing a tight first set and plenty of emotional rollercoasters to win 5-7 6-2 6-4 in two hours and seven minutes of box office tennis during the grass-court Wimbledon warm-up tournament.
Kyrgios, ranked 65, went into the match as a slight favourite with the bookies due to his superior ability on the grass surface compared to the struggling performances of Tsitsipas on the turf in his career so far.
However, Tsitsipas nicked a tight first set 7-5 behind a mega-serving performance, with the Greek winning 94 per cent of his first serve points, including six aces.
Lighting up the lawns 🔥
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) June 15, 2022
Beautiful touch to end a gripping rally from @NickKyrgios!#TWO2022 pic.twitter.com/DXt9yFuz3i
Frustrations boiled over for Kyrgios, who was seen smashing his racquet into his courtside chair after losing the first set, with the chair umpire giving the Aussie a code violation for his conduct.
Come for the tennis, stay for the broken racket 🥴
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) June 15, 2022
An unusual souvenir from @NickKyrgios for this fan at @ATPHalle! pic.twitter.com/egCvCOr3z7
Kyrgios managed to recover his focus enough to break Tsitsipas in the first game of the second set, but the Australian struggled to contain his emotions soon after.
After being given a time violation by the chair umpire, Kyrgios temporarily refused to play during Tsitsipas' service game, asking for the tournament supervisor to come out to the court while the Greek practised serves in the background.
*time violation warning mr Kyrgios*
— Garbee|| Serena is coming ❤️ (@muguruthlessN1) June 15, 2022
the supervisor arrives, Tsitsipas keeps serving, everything is so perfect pic.twitter.com/yJT79W3U9M
Despite what appeared to be a meltdown, Kyrgios regained his focus, playing some brilliant tennis, including a ridiculous running forehand to claim the second set 6-2.
OUTRAGEOUS 😯
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) June 15, 2022
Casually ridiculous from @NickKyrgios! #TWO2022 pic.twitter.com/xrLVE9RuHY
The Australian's box office tennis continued in the third set, with an incredible behind-the-body shot sending the crowd wild, before he broke Tsitsipas late on to snare the final set 6-4.
🤓 Just @NickKyrgios things! The Aussie produced some crazy shots on the way to a comeback 5-7 6-2 6-4 win over @steftsitsipas at the Halle Open 🇦🇺🔥 pic.twitter.com/64jRsryBG2
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS_AUS) June 15, 2022
Kyrgios explained his feelings about the time violation he received in the second set, believing the umpire's intervention was 'unnecessary'.
"Umpires, I don't think they understand... Everyone here in Halle was looking forward to seeing me and Stef play, they (umpires) just want to be relevant," he said.
"The match was going fine, the crowd was enjoying it - it was completely unnecessary.
"As you can see from the scoreboard, I focused pretty well. Lost the first set, and regained my focus and got it done."
The 27-year-old will now meet sixth-seed Pablo Carreno-Busta in the quarter-finals, with the 30-year-old Spaniard having only won six matches on grass in his entire career.