Concentration lapses hurt Kyrgios in loss to Murray
— -- PARIS -- Here is the beauty and the horror that is the ever-evolving Nick Kyrgios:
The 20-year-old Australian, with his back to the net, runs down an Andy Murray lob, actually slows down and, against all logic, somehow goes between the legs to stroke an incredibly delicate lob over Murray's head. Even before Murray's reply drops long, Kyrgios is standing still along the baseline, arms outspread, inviting the spectators to applaud, which they do at length. Then, after a trio of improbably impatient, errant groundstrokes, Kyrgios loses the match's seventh game.
This pattern of dazzling brilliance, followed by some sometimes alarming lapses of concentration, repeated itself throughout Saturday's third-round match. Kyrgios broke Murray early in the third set but gave it right back, prompting him to hit a ball into the upper reaches of Court Suzanne Lenglen, which will undoubtedly cost him a few thousand Euros in a fine from the International Tennis Federation.
Meanwhile, Murray, a 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 winner, is through to the French Open's round of 16 for the sixth time, and Kyrgios -- who had a perfectly appropriate 37 winners balanced by 37 unforced errors -- is through to, well, wherever maturity takes him.
"I have watched a lot of his matches, so obviously I know what his personality is like," Murray said later. "He does have a game style and a personality on the court that lends itself to playing big matches on big courts. Sometimes you don't feel like you're able to control what's happening out there because he's hitting huge shots and sometimes playing shots that no one else tries.
"So you're not expecting it, either. So it's obviously tricky to feel comfortable on the court and feel like you're in a rhythm. That's why he's had so many good results, because he takes you out of your comfort zone a bit."
Afterward, Kyrgios said a tender right elbow limited his power, particularly on his serve.
"I have done so much," he said, "and it's pretty heartbreaking going out there and something like that holding you back."
Kyrgios had two aces in the match's opening game -- and zero in his subsequent 13 service games.
Less than a year ago, Kyrgios was quietly working his way through the field at the Nottingham Challenger, taking down eight opponents, including qualifying. The run prompted Wimbledon officials to offer him a spot in the main draw, and the then-19-year-old responded by saving a searing nine match points against Richard Gasquet in the second round, then beating 14-time Grand Slam singles champion Rafael Nadal in the fourth.
When Kyrgios advanced to the quarterfinals again, at this year's Australian Open, he became the first male teenager to reach multiple Grand Slam quarters since Roger Federer. How would you like to have that line on your young résumé?
Murray, of course, has two Grand Slam singles trophies at home in London, but he's been fighting a prolonged hangover since rewriting British tennis history at Wimbledon two years ago. After reaching four consecutive finals of the majors in which he appeared, Murray missed five in a row before getting to this year's Australian final, where he lost to Novak Djokovic.
The 28-year-old Scot has the game and the requisite patience to succeed on clay. He's been to two semifinals here, losing to Nadal on each occasion. Murray -- who has won all three of his matches against Kyrgios -- is working on a 13-match winning streak, which includes titles at Munich and Madrid.
The No. 3 seed finds himself in a comfortable place in the draw, since No. 7 David Ferrer is the most formidable obstacle in his path to the semifinals. There, Murray would likely face the winner of the hugely anticipated quarterfinal between Djokovic and Nadal
"Definitely coming into the tournament is the best I have played on clay," Murray said. "Never won a clay-court tournament, never been to the final and had many wins against any of the top guys for a while on the clay. Obviously in Madrid, I managed to do that against Kei [Nishikori] and Milos [Raonic], and against Rafa, played some very good matches there."
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