Nick Kyrgios took another step in his rise with a Davis Cup win on home soil in Perth on Friday but experienced opponent Denis Istomin believes he has plenty of work still to do on his mental approach.
Kyrgios opened up the Davis Cup World Group play-off tie at Cottesloe Tennis Club with a 6-4 7-5 6-4 win over the 28-year-old world No.55 Istomin but neither player was happy with the grass surface.
Istomin was troubled by a hip complaint that he believes was made worse by the low bouncing surface while Kyrgios was not totally comfortable due to an arm problem that also caused him trouble at the recent US Open.
While Istomin does believe that Kyrgios can go on to become a star, he does see that the 19-year-old has plenty still to work on, particularly mentally, because if healthy, and on a different surface, the Uzbek veteran felt the result could have been different.
“Nick is a great player and he played very good today with a great serve,” Istomin said.
“He has a big future like I see it but I think maybe he can be a bit more mentally strong because sometimes he can go up and down. I felt that when I played him today. In some games I had chances to break him and if I was a little bit healthier maybe I take those chances.”
While Istomin felt that Kyrgios’s mental lapses kept him in the contest, the Australian himself felt it was one of his more composed victories particularly given it was against a quality, experienced opponent on a difficult surface and with an arm problem.
“My left arm has obviously been giving me some trouble, but I got the job done. It’s always tough when you’ve had a niggling injury and it was obviously at the US Open as well. I’m really proud of myself for making progress,” Kyrgios said.
“That’s definitely one of the most composed wins I’ve had. It’s always tough to beat a player like that in straight sets and I think he’s said that it’s his favourite surface. So I think it’s a great result and to have another win like that during the year will give me more confidence.”
Veteran Lleyton Hewitt recorded his 41st Davis Cup singles win as Australia took a two-nil lead at the picturesque Cottesloe Tennis Club.
Hewitt beat world No.133 Farrukh Dustov 6-4 6-4 6-2 on the back of winning 12 of the last 15 games after falling 3-0 down in the second set.
Australia needs to win just one more rubber to claim the tie and book a place in the World Group of the Davis Cup in 2015.
Hewitt, 33, will now set his sights on Saturday’s doubles where he will team up with Chris Guccione.
“It was the perfect start for me as well, to go out there and have the pressure on Dustov being one-nil down, with (Uzbekistan’s) better player already having lost,” Hewitt said.
“And now we have to finish it off. We’ll be doing everything in our power to do that tomorrow.
“I’m always keen to play so (captain) Pat (Rafter), myself, (coaches) Josh Eagle and Rochey (Tony Roche) will sit down later to work it out, but my body feels good and I think on this surface Gucc and I are pretty tough to beat.”
