Tomas Berdych overcame Australian rising star Nick Kyrgios in four sets with 6-3 6-4 1-6 6-4 at the Rod Laver Arena to get through to the fourth round of the Australian Open.
Berdych looked to be cruising to an easy win after winning the first two sets with a break in each set. Kyrgios never broke Berdych in the first two sets and earned just two break points in the seventh game of the first set. Kyrgios fought back from a set and a break down to win the third set 6-1. Kyrgios won 70 percent of his first serve points, hit nine aces and dropped just three points with his first serve.
The local star won 86 percent of his first serve points and made just four unforced errors.
In the fourth set Kyrgios held his serve from 15-40 in the sixth game but he faced three match points at 4-5 0-40. Kyrgios fended off the first match point but he made a double fault on the second opportunity to hand the win to Berdych who has reached the fourth round for the sixth consecutive year.
“Nick is very dangerous for the top guys. He can play really some big tennis. He can be very dangerous. You really have to play a good game, a good effort. That’s what I did today. That’s his game, that’s his style. He is a great player. He just took advantage of that in the third set. All of a sudden the gap just became huge in the score but I didn’t feel that way, that it’s going so fast. He can play well. I just refocused myself and then played well again in the fourth set”, said Berdych.
Kyrgios could not repeat his achievement of last year when he reached the quarter finals in a Grand Slam for the second time in his career.
“I didn’t have much rhythm. I think that’s what Tomas does so well. He plays with his own pace on his service games. He doesn’t give you much time at all. He really puts his foot on the accelerator. I think that was pretty tough to play”, said Kyrgios.
