Nick Kyrgios melts down in Miami, Thanasi Kokkinakis' run comes to an end

Tom Naghten

Nick Kyrgios melts down in Miami, Thanasi Kokkinakis' run comes to an end image

The singles runs of Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis at the Miami Open have come to an end.

Kyrgios, who received a wildcard to the tournament, was defeated in straight-sets by Italian rising star Jannick Sinner.

The ninth-seed beat Kyrgios 7-6(3) 6-3 to reach the quarter finals in a match that included a classic Kyrgios meltdown.

During a tight first set in which Kyrgios had already voiced his frustrations with the speed of the surface, pointing out the difference to centre court, chair umpire Carlos Bernardes' walkie-talkie blaring loudly mid-point angered the Aussie further.

The set then fell the way of Sinner in the tie-break when Kyrgios was hit with a point penalty for unsportsmanlike after constant chatter about the chair umpire.

Kyrgios then double-faulted, handing Sinner the first frame.

After the set, Kyrgios argued with the umpire and proceeded to smash his racquet into his bag and the court several times, resulting in a game penalty.

That had the Aussie on the backfoot from the the start of the second set and he wasn't able to recover.

In a bizarre match, at one point a fan rushed onto the court to snap a selfie with Kyrgios.

Nick Kyrgios selfie fan
Getty Images

Another outburst towards the officials came from Kyrgios which he is likely to hear more about from the tournament organisers or Tour officials in coming days.

His doubles partner Kokkinakis was also eliminated in the round of 16, going down in straight sets to Alexander Zverev 6-4 6-4.

Kokkinakis' serve was broken in the fifth games of each set as the German powered away to an impressive victory.

Kyrgios and Kokkinakis bounced back from their singles disappoints, progressing through to the semis in doubles after defeating Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos 7-5 6-2.

 

Tom Naghten

Tom Naghten Photo

Tom Naghten is a senior editor at The Sporting News Australia where he's been part of the team since 2017. He predominantly covers boxing and MMA. In his spare time, he likes to watch Robbie Ahmat's goal against the Kangaroos at the SCG in 2000.