Beaten Nick Kyrgios faces record £160,000 fine after appearing to 'give up' during Gasquet defeat

After losing the first set the Australian bizarrely seemed to give up on several points after going 2-0 down and being scolded by the umpire British umpire James Keothavon for challenging a call.

He had earlier been given a code violation after using bad language.

However, with a bit of help from his compatriots in the crowd the 20-year-old saved two match points in the third set and won the tie-break 9-7.

Media reports coming out of the All England club on Monday afternoon suggested that will not spare Kyrgios, who is facing a fine as large as £160,000 for bringing the sport into disrepute in losing a match watched by millions worldwide on television.

France’s Gasquet, who reached the semi-finals in 2007, was not to be denied his progress and clinched the fourth set 8-6 in the tiebreak. He will now face either Stan Wawrinka or David Goffin in the quarter-finals.

To the disappointment of those bemoaning a lack of "characters" at Wimbledon, Kyrgios bowed out of the tournament with his usual mix of brilliance and belligerence.

The Australian 20-year-old's on-court behaviour often resembles that of a hormonal teenager and he threw in the full range on Monday with a "tanked" game, a warning for an audible obscenity and a seemingly endless running debate with the umpire.

None of it could put off Gasquet, however, who triumphed 7-5 6-1 6-7(7) 7-6(6) to take full revenge for losing to Kyrgios a year ago when the Frenchman managed to blow a record-equalling nine match points.

This time Gasquet was content to be the Bjorn Borg to Kyrgios's John McEnroe, losing his ice-cool demeanour only briefly when he smashed a racket after losing the third set tie-break.

Kyrgios shot to fame on the back of knocking Rafa Nadal out of Wimbledon last year and since then has been building a reputation as the hothead of the men's tour.

In his first match at Wimbledon this year he escaped punishment when he appeared to call an official "dirty scum" by saying he was addressing himself.

In his next match he launched another attack on the umpire, saying: "Does it feel good to be up there in that chair? Does it make you feel strong?"

He fumed again on Monday when a technical fault meant the big screen could not show the Hawk-Eye image of one of his failed challenges, while he chuntered away to himself and anyone else he could think of every time things went against him.

Having lost the first set and then being broken to trail 2-0 in the second, he was booed after sulking his way through the third game, sometimes not even attempting a token attempt to return Gasquet's serves.

However, when it was going well he had the Number Two court crowd eating out of his hands, hugging a ball boy, chatting and laughing with fans and banging his head after opting for one too many drop shots.

He certainly offers entertainment and makes the crowd feel a part of the event -- something of a rarity in a modern game often criticised for its anodyne stars.

But amid his power, invention and chat, there are still too many errors and poor shot choices -- a combination that is usually found out in the second week of a grand slam.

Gasquet bided his time and eventually ground down his rival with a succession of silky backhands that left the Australian appealing to the skies to explain how such a thing could happen.

There are acts of stupidity that simply have to be seen to be believed in professional sport. Just when you think you have seen it all, along comes Nick Kyrgios. The man from Canberra's act of petulance, contributing to his defeat and a widespread round of boos from the crowd on Court Two, is not only likely to hurt his wounded 20-year-old pride. If the tennis authorities decide to make an example out of the flamboyant Australian player, he could find himself hit extremely hard in the pocket.

Losing in the fourth round at the Grand Slam on grass guarantees you £127,000, but he will need to find another £33,000 if he is hit with a record fine of £160,000. Fair enough, he may have enough money in reserve to cover the costs, but there is a lesson to be learned by such immature behaviour moving forward. As the BBC presenter John Inverdale said after Kyrgios appeared to give up during the third game of the second set, "you can be a character and you can box office, but you don't do that". And you simply don't.

Like any other sport, tennis must be seen to be whiter than white - whiter even than the Wimbledon outfits - and players deciding not to try during a match is simply unacceptable. It can open up a can of worms about players not trying or throwing games. That is an accusation that tennis does not need in trying to attract fresh and maintain sponsorship deals. In such a respect, Kyrgios could not have picked a worse venue in tennis to throw such an unnecessary tantrum than Wimbledon.