Rome: Australian firebrand Nick Kyrgios was disqualified from the Italian Open after an expletive-laden rant on Thursday as defending champion Rafael Nadal swept into the third round along with top seed Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.
Kyrgios grabbed the headlines when he suffered a spectacular meltdown on Court Three against Norwegian qualifier Casper Ruud. The controversial 24-year-old, who had marked his presence in Rome by criticising Djokovic and Nadal in an interview on Wednesday, starting arguing with the umpire in the third set. World number 36 Kyrgios had levelled the match at one set all but was given a game penalty early on in the third set for swearing. His response was to kick out at a water bottle before throwing a chair onto the court, packing his bag and then storming off court, shouting I am fucking done” Kyrgios was automatically disqualified with Ruud winning 6-3, 6-7 (5/7), 2-1 to advance to the third round against former US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro.
Meanwhile, Nadal crushed France’s Jeremy Chardy 6-0, 6-1, with Federer, a four-time runner-up, easing past Portugal’s Joao Sousa 6-4, 6-3, and Djokovic beating Canadian Denis Shapovalov 6-1, 6-3.
Nadal meets Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili, with Federer up against Croatian Borna Coric, and Djokovic facing Germany’s Philipp Kohlschreiber.
For 37-year-old Federer, returning to Italy for the first time since 2016, it was like a practice session. “Like any other practice day when you play twice a day, you finish the first session, take a shower, eat something, relax, get ready for the next one.” He said. (AFP)
