Nick Kyrgios berates himself, plays brilliantly at US Open upset

It was the complete Nick Kyrgios experience.

From berating himself and yelling at his box, to slamming his racquet and nearly getting disqualified by nearly throwing the ball into the crowd, this performance had it all.

It also included mostly brilliant tennis, when his head was straight, and the biggest upset of the US Open so far beating last year’s champion.

23rd-seeded Kyrgios ousted No.1 Daniil Medvedev in four sets, 7-6 (13-11), 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, building on his superb run until the Wimbledon final to advance to his first US Open quarter-final.

Kyrgios, 27, improved as the match wore on, not even facing a break point on his serve in the final two sets after surviving a marathon first-set tie-break that saw him throw his racquet twice on the court. At the start of the third set, Kyrgios cost himself a break point by bizarrely stepping over the other side of the field to hit a live ball. He drew boos from the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd. He won them over soon after, and they repeatedly chanted ‘Let’s go Kyrgios’, as he found his form against the top-ranked opponent.

His upset opens the top half of the men’s draw, pitting him next against No. 27 Karen Khachanov. No. 5 Casper Ruud-No. 13 Matteo Berrettini will meet in one of the other quarter-finals of this half of the draw.