JOIN US Australia’s Nick Kyrgios blasted new world number one Rafael Nadal 6-2, 7-5 Friday, winning twice in one day to reach the WTA and ATP Cincinnati Masters semifinals.
As defending champion Karolina Pliskova won twice in one day for the third time this season to tighten her grip on the world number one ranking, Kyrgios stole the show by overpowering the 15-time Grand Slam champion after each had won earlier.
“A kid playing Nadal on centre court, that’s where your best has to come out,” Kyrgios said. “Performance like today, I’m seeing progress.”
Kyrgios, ranked 23rd, faces Spain’s David Ferrer for a finals berth. Bulgaria’s 11th-ranked Grigor Dimitrov plays American John Isner in the other semifinal.
Kyrgios was up a double break in 10 minutes, seizing the chance to make a between-the-legs showoff shot on his way to a 4-0 lead, drawing boos from the crowd.
“I was just doing it for a gag,” Kyrgios said. “I just felt like doing it. My friends who were watching were laughing so they liked it I guess,” said Kyrgios.
He took the first set in 25 minutes, dropping only three points on his serve, then broke Nadal in the fifth game of the second set. The Aussie served for the match in the 10th game but double faulted on his third match point and Nadal broke back.
But the 22-year-old broke again to lead 6-5 and this time ended matters with his 10th ace after 80 minutes, improving to 2-2 all-time against the 31-year-old Spaniard.
Kyrgios, who matched his best ATP Masters runs from Miami the past two years, seeks his fourth career title after 2016 trophies at Marseille, Atlanta and Tokyo.
And he served notice for the US Open, where he has never reached the fourth round. The year’s last Grand Slam starts August 28.
Ferrer upset Austria’s eighth-ranked Dominic Thiem 6-3, 6-3 while Isner fired 25 aces in beating American wildcard Jared Donaldson 7-6 (7/4), 7-5 and Dimitrov downed Japan’s Yuichi Sugita 6-2, 6-1.
Pliskova, fighting to hold off Romania’s Simona Halep atop the rankings, first ousted Italian qualifier Camila Giorgi 6-3, 4-6, 6-0 in a rain-postponed match.
With only two hours between matches, the 25-year-old Czech defeated Denmark’s fifth-ranked Caroline Wozniacki 6-2, 6-4 to book a semifinal against Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza.
Second-ranked Halep eliminated British seventh seed Johanna Konta 6-4, 7-6 (7/1) to book a semifinal date with US wildcard Sloane Stephens.
Pliskova’s two-in-one effort, matching feats on her way to Eastbourne and Doha titles, means Halep must capture the crown to swipe the top spot in Monday’s rankings.
Sixth-ranked Spaniard Muguruza ousted Russian eighth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-2, 5-7, 7-5.
Sania, Bopanna exit
Rohan Bopanna and Sania Mirza bowed out after losing their quarterfinal and semifinal with respective partners in the men’s and women’s doubles.
Bopanna and his Croatian partner Ivan Dodig lost 1-6, 7-6, 7-10 to second seeds Lukasz Kubot of Poland and Marcelo Melo in an enthralling quarterfinal. Sania and Shuai Peng lost to Hsie Su-Wei of Taiwan and Moncia Niculescu of Romania 4-6 6-7 in the women’s doubles semifinal.