Nick Kyrgios caused his daily dose of controversy as his girlfriend Ajla Tomljanovic and rising star Alex De Minaur quietly progressed to the quarterfinals at the Brisbane International on Wednesday.
Kyrgios’ title defence ended with a 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 6-3 second-round loss to Frenchman Jeremy Chardy and he caused a stir post-match by declaring he ‘honestly could not care less’.
The 23-year-old was referencing his looming fall from 35 to 52 in the ATP world rankings after the Chardy loss, ending a four-year stint inside the top 50.
De Minaur cruised into the final eight with a 6-4 6-2 demolition of countryman Jordan Thompson.
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The 19-year-old will face either world No.5 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga or Taro Daniel next-up in a bid to repeat last year’s feat of reaching the semi-finals in Brisbane.
De Minaur credited his latest victory to his improved physique after a tough off-season fitness regime.
“A big focus of my pre-season was to get a little bit bigger, stronger and fitter,” De Minaur said.
“I’m very happy to see it all pay off … I’m playing some great tennis and moving really well, so I’m very proud of myself.”
Tomljanovic upstaged rising star Johanna Konta 6-2 7-6 (7-2) in an unpredictable second-round contest.
Both players earned three service breaks in a wild second set, with Tomljanovic surrendering a 4-0 advantage.
The Australian dug deep to force a tiebreak after falling behind 6-5 and held her nerve to close out the upset win.
She will play Karolina Pliskova in the last eight after the 2017 champion defeated Marie Bouzkova 7-5 6-2 on Wednesday.
