Nick Kyrgios ready for showdown with Roger Federer in Miami Open semi-final
Nick Kyrgios, the temperamental Australian, has advanced to the Miami Open semi-final courtesy a 6-4, 6-7 (9-11), 6-3 victory over German 16th seed Alexander Zverev on Thursday. Kyrgios will now face the fourth-seeded Roger Federer in the semi-final of the Key Biscayne event on Friday.
Kyrgios and Zverev are two of the fastest rising stars in the sport. While Zverev pushed Rafael Nadal to an epic five-set match at the 2017 Australian Open, Kyrgios has produced flashes of a future multi-time Grand Slam champion, albeit letting his emotions get the better of him on several occasions. After improving his head-to-head record against Zverev to 2-0, Kyrgios acknowledged that their rivalry is just getting started.
“I respect his game. He's beaten some of the best players in the world. I know that I can't bring 75 or 80 percent of my game. I have to bring 100 percent. That's what I did today and I got over the line. We're going to play a lot more times and he's only going to get better. He's 19 years old, so I've got a couple of years on him as well. I’ve got to get better as well. He's going to continually make me better," said Kyrgios.
Roger Federer vs Nick Kyrgios to happen on Friday
A few weeks ago, Kyrgios and Federer were due to meet in the quarter-finals of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells until the Australian pulled out of the match due to an illness. Kyrgios, 21, has often hailed Federer as his childhood idol and the greatest player in tennis history. Federer, too, has returned the favour, tipping the Aussie as one of the most talented young players in the sport.
“He's playing incredible at the moment. He's had a great year. He obviously looks very healthy and is moving very, very good. I'm not going to think about it too much at the moment. I'm going to serve big and play big. That's my game style that I've had success with, so that's what I'm going to bring," Kyrgios said Thursday, via the official website of the ATP World Tour, while looking forward to Friday's semi-final.
Earlier on Thursday, Federer improved his 2017 record to 17-1 after a hard-fought victory against tenth seeded Czech Tomas Berdych. Federer had to fight off two match points before securing a win, setting up a semi-final showdown against Kyrgios. Meanwhile, Rafael Nadal will square off against unseeded Italian Fabio Fognini in the other semi-final. There's a possibility of a Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal final on Sunday.
