The disappointment in losing to Karen Khachanov in the US Open quarter-final was too much for Nick Kyrgios with the Australian exploding in rage after the match.
After losing the five-set epic 7-5 4-6 7-4 6-7(3) 6-4 in three hours and 41 minutes, Kyrgios and Khachanov shared a nice moment at the net with the Australian showing his respect to the Russian.
But after shaking the chair umpire’s hand, Kyrgios couldn’t contain his emotions, destroying two racquets during multiple attempts in smashing them on the court surface.
MORE: Cool Khachanov outlasts a valiant Kyrgios to progress to US Open semi-finals
“That one has gone to racket heaven…” 👀😳#USOpen #Tennis pic.twitter.com/FUdNmCPD30
— Wide World of Sports (@wwos) September 7, 2022
Kyrgios then quickly exited Arthur Ashe Stadium, clearly crestfallen that he lost an opportunity to win his first Grand Slam as he was favourite to triumph at the tournament prior to the match.
Khachanov came to play right from the beginning of the match and maintained his composure throughout as Kyrgios went through patches of dominance and disinterest.
The Australian looked close to retiring because of a knee injury in the first set and eventually lost the opener before fighting back to win the second set.
With Kyrgios seemingly recovered, Khachanov again lifted in the crucial moment in the third set to win that 7-5 before the fourth set went to a tiebreaker.
It was Kyrgios who stepped up in the clutch moments in the breaker to force a fifth and deciding set.
But when it was all on the line, Khachanov was the stronger player, breaking in the first game of the fifth set before riding out several break points on his serve to reach a Grand Slam semi-final.
Kyrgios performed at his highest levels in the back end of the match, but the Russian was too strong in the best win of his career.
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