Australia's Nick Kyrgios slumps over after getting up after diving for a shot by Australia's Jordan Thompson. Photo / AP
Australia's Nick Kyrgios slumps over after getting up after diving for a shot by Australia's Jordan Thompson. Photo / AP
Nick Kyrgios won a five-set thriller over fellow Australian Jordan Thompson in a first-round match at Wimbledon filled with remarkable drama and temper tantrums.
Locked at one-set apiece, the third set is where the major entertainment kicked off. Both players fumed over the officiating as crazy momentum shifts ensured nobody was leaving Court 3 before the end.
Having unsuccessfully tried to pull off several tweeners throughout the match, Kyrgios went for an underarm serve at set point in the third but Thompson dealt with it easily and we went to a tiebreak. That's when things went bonkers.
Thompson accused the umpire of "having a shocker" when he was duded by a call that saw Kyrgios lie flat on his back in relief, then Kyrgios erupted and almost went on a lap of honour when he hit a scorching winner as the tension in the tiebreak escalated to extreme levels.
Kyrgios finally took advantage of his eighth set point to win the breaker 12-10. Aussie pro Thanasi Kokkinakis could only laugh, while plenty of other tennis fans struggled to comprehend the amazing scenes.
After the third set extravaganza, Kyrgios's fortunes soon changed. He imploded in the fourth set, dropping it 6-0 in just 18 minutes as the all-Aussie affair headed into a deciding fifth set.
It was smooth sailing from there as Kyrgios cruised through the fifth to secure a 7-6 3-6 7-6 0-6 6-1 victory.
Australia's Nick Kyrgios falls on the court as he plays Australia's Jordan Thompson. Photo / AP
'THAT CHICK IS SO LOUD'
Early in the match Kyrgios was having lots of laughs but they were later replaced with tantrums about the officiating and outbursts at spectators.
Down 4-5 in the third, Kyrgios blew up over what he believed was a poor call from a line judge, questioning the chair umpire about what repercussions there are for officials who make mistakes.
"I'm playing for hundreds of thousands of dollars out here. Why is the linesman not getting fined? Tell me. Why?" Kyrgios complained.
"Does he get fined? Why does he not get fined?
"It shouldn't be happening like that. Wake up."
It's nothing new for officials to cop Kyrgios's wrath and spectators weren't immune either as the 24-year-old started to lose his cool.
Earlier in the match, the Aussie firebrand singled out a woman in the crowd, saying: "Can you stop being so loud please, thank you. So loud."
In the second set he added: "Honestly, that chick is so loud. She's having a full-blown conversation. It's ridiculous."
Then at 4-5 in the third set, Kyrgios took more complaints to the chair umpire.
"It's called awareness, show some," Kyrgios said. "She's allowed to talk, there's nothing wrong with it. If I was doing that job I'd probably think, they're playing, maybe it distracts the players.
"Bringing a camera that's the size of a tennis racquet, it's pretty sunny, maybe the lens is shining into their eyes. I don't know, you know?
Kyrgios received a code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct after his outburst over the line judge and Thompson's temper was just as fiery. The 25-year-old had berated himself throughout the opening three sets and, like Kyrgios, received a code violation when he threw his racquet at the baseline.
Thompson had just as many issues with the officiating as his countryman.
"Every time the score gets tight, the linespeople get tighter than the players," Thompson told the chair umpire. "It's unbelievable.
