Kyrgios loses drama-charged Open match

Nick Kyrgios has self-destructed to crash out of the Australian Open at Melbourne Park.

In a spectacular collapse, Kyrgios blew a two-set advantage to fall 1-6 6-7 (1-7) 6-4 6-1 10-8 to Italian Andreas Seppi after engaging in a running verbal battle with his courtside box.

Kyrgios – who carried a knee injury into the season’s first grand slam – appeared peeved about apparently having to put in extra work on his day off on Tuesday.

Australia’s 14th seed had been in command before his mid-match meltdown.

He stood two games away from winning a place in the third round at 4-4 in the third set when, after constantly bickering towards his entourage, he was broken for the first time.

Kyrgios was docked a penalty point after receiving a second code violation for angrily smashing his racquet into the court on the ensuing changeover, before Seppi served out the set to gain a foothold in the match.

He dropped serve twice more as Seppi raced through the fourth set to force a decider – two years after Kyrgios denied the Italian 8-6 in the fifth at Melbourne Park.

Watching on from the Seven Network bunker, Australian captain Lleyton Hewitt hoped his Davis Cup charge could turn the contest around.

“He plays his best tennis when he’s happy, in that happy place. For some reason, he’s not now. He’s struggling,” Hewitt said.

Fellow former world No.1 Jim Courier described Kyrgios’s antics as “apathetic”.

“He seems to be making a specific point to someone in his team that they messed up,” Courier said.

“At one point, does he re-engage?”

Kyrgios re-engaged to again close to within five points of victory with Seppi serving at 3-4 and love-40 in the tense deciding set.

Seppi saved all three break points, including the first with a lucky net cord, before wriggling free to hold – and then break Kyrgios the very next game.

But, staring down the barrel, Kyrgios broke straight back after an audacious between-the-legs shot to send the capacity crowd inside Hisense Arena into raptures.

He garnered a match point in the 17th game of the crazy final set, but Seppi rifled a fearless forehand winner down the line to stay alive before breaking Kyrgios and closing out the rollercoaster affair after three hours and nine minutes.

“I just kept fighting,” Seppi said.

“Maybe it was meant to be.”

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