WHAT HAPPENED: In a second-round rout of the French wild card Antoine Hoang, Australia’s Nick Kyrgios seemed … almost normal.
His demeanor, that is. His game—especially his effortlessly potent serve—was frequently extraordinary.
The mercurial and often hot-headed young Aussie, who is caught up in several controversies—including potential suspension from the tour—swirling around him, let his racquet do the talking. He used it mainly to bomb 24 aces, many in the 135+ m.p.h. range.
It was the only loud part of his game Tuesday evening.
The 28th-seeded Australian breezily blasted Hoang off the Grandstand court to roll into the third round, 6-4, 6-2, 6-4.
Kyrgios broke the serve of the 104th-ranked Frenchman to open each set. In his own very first service game, Kyrgios smacked three aces and delivered an unreturnable, 132-mph second serve to capture the game in one minute. At least when the Australian was serving, it was definitely first-strike tennis.
While he occasionally muttered to himself and shook his head, and one time did hit a tweener from the baseline, Kyrgios was on his best behavior, even subdued, for three sets.
Kyrgios’s seemingly chastened attitude may have constrained his creativity, but it didn’t hamper his overall game. Indeed, this was an opportunity to see Kyrgios the tennis player rather than the alternatively entertaining and exasperating showman.
Of course, his opponent Hoang had few options to hurt Kyrgios with. Worse, he double-faulted nine times, allowing Kyrgios to break serve six times.
WHAT IT MEANS: Kyrgios is in a decimated quarter of the draw, with No. 4 Dominic Thiem, No. 8 Stefanos Tsitsipas, and No. 10 Roberto Bautista Agut all ushered out in the first round. It’s a tremendous opportunity for Kyrgios, with the highest seed remaining No. 13 Gael Monfils of France. Will the Australian be able to sail through several more rounds without succumbing to his more volatile nature?
MATCH POINT: Kyrgios owns a 5-2 record versus the Top 10 in 2019; his ability to step up his game when he wants to is obvious. It’s his desire that remains a question.
