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Robotic Medvedev ousts showman Kyrgios

Sudipto Ganguly Melbourne

World No 2 Daniil Medvedev kept his calm amid a raucous crowd to put an end to the Nick Kyrgios show in the second round of the Australian Open on Thursday, dumping out the mercurial local hope with a clinical 7-6(1) 6-4 4-6 6-2 win.

The atmosphere at the floodlit Rod Laver Arena was more like a Davis Cup match than a Grand Slam with the sellout 50% capacity due to Covid-19 health protocols cheering every Kyrgios point on Melbourne Park’s main showcourt.

“I came to win this match and I am happy I managed to do it,”a stone-faced Medvedev said in his on-court interview.

“The only choice is to keep calm when you get booed between first and second serve.”

Kyrgios egged on the crowd to get behind him from the onset, with his repeated chest-thumping, but also rebuked them for interrupting him during his service motion.

The Australian was warned for an audible obscenity as he repeatedly engaged with the chair umpire, accusing him of starting the shot clock early between points, while also getting a time violation for not being ready to receive serve.

Ahead of the match, Kyrgios said he believed Medvedev is the best player in the world despite having beaten him both times in their previous meetings. The Russian showed why staying calm and composed in the face of partisan support and his opponent’s usual antics.

Frustrated by Medvedev’s robotic precision, the former world No 13, who has slipped to 115th in the rankings, kept shaking his head in disbelief and told the crowd: “I am doing everything I can.”

“I can’t serve any bigger,” he kept muttering during a changeover, signalling with his hand that Medvedev was managing to return his rocket serves with ease.

Kyrgios did manage to stage a fightback in the third set, and a no-look “tweener” while chasing back from a Medvedev lob sent the crowd wild as the showman won the point, performing a few dance moves.

But Medvedev, who fired 68 winners in the match, soon regained control.

A double break in the fourth set made it look easy in the end for 2021’s Australian Open finalist and he will next meet 57thranked Botic van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands for a place in the fourth round.

Former world No 1 Simona Halep put in a clinical performance to see off Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-2 6-0 and progress to the third round.

“It’s been a little difficult to wait all day to play, but it was a good match before me [Kyrgios vs Medvedev], so that motivated a little,” Halep said.

Japanese qualifier Taro Daniel ended Andy Murray’s challenge in emphatic fashion as he sealed a 6-4 6-4 6-4 win.

US Open champion Emma Raducanu was bundled out in the second round, losing 6-4 4-6 6-3 to Montenegro’s Danka Kovinic. The 19-year-old British sensation was hampered by a blistered racquet hand from early in the first set.

With her usually powerful forehand reduced to a slice, Raducanu let slip a 3-0 lead to lose the first set. But she played on her 98th-ranked opponent’s nerves to break at 4-4 in the second and take the match into a decider.

Kovinic showed great composure to forge ahead in the deciding set, resist a Raducanu fightback, and then move 5-3 ahead as the British youngster finally looked weary.

SPORT

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2022-01-21T08:00:00.0000000Z

2022-01-21T08:00:00.0000000Z

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