Nick Kyrgios ran out of puff after two months of top tennis as the Australian exited the Montreal Masters 7-6(4), 6-7(5), 6-1 in Friday’s quarter-final against Hubert Hurkacz.
The Polish winner who also defeated the Australian in June on grass at Halle, was undaunted by 53 Kyrgios winners, producing 45 of his own in a match which changed course in the third set.
Kyrgios began to feel his accumulated aches and pains in the third set and was not well pleased as his opponent went off court for a clothing change at a key moment.
In the end, the Wimbledon finalist’s body let him down, sending a message that some rest was required after winning 15 of his last 16 matches including the Washington title last week.
“My body hasn’t been feeling great the last week,” he said. “I was feeling the abdominal (muscle) a little bit before the match, my knees hurt.
“I was just just running on fumes a bit towards the end,” the 27-year-old said. “That’s normal.
“But I feel good, feel confident. I’ve got three or four days of rest until Cincinnati (next week).
Hurkacz will play on Saturday against fourth seed Casper Ruud, a 6-1, 6-2 winner over Montreal local Felix Auger-Aliassime in 74 minutes.
Ruud led a charmed life on court against the Canadian.
“It was one of those days where everything was in my favour,” he said. “I had a troubling start when I was broken to zero.
“But I turned it around. I made him play a lot of shots. Maybe playing at home was a factor for him. I was lucky to be able to win and keep the crowd from not cheering too much.”
Main photo:- Hubert Hurkacz beating Nick Kyrgios today ©ATPTour.com
