Nadal’s fourth ascent to the No. 1 ranking was spoiled by the talented 22-year-old Australian, who put on a serving clinic in the Cincinnati quarterfinals.
By Todd Muffie
CINCINNATI – Rafael Nadal was able to recapture the number one ranking in the absence of Federer and Murray at this year’s Cincinnati Open, but his run came to an abrupt end against a younger and more powerful opponent.
Nadal, a 15-time Grand Slam champion at the age of 31, was trying to fend off the challenge from 22-year-old Nick Kyrgios, the new bad boy on the block. The head-to-head was 2-1 in the Spaniard’s favor, with Kyrgios winning their first match on the Wimbledon grass in 2014 and Nadal prevailing in the following two encounters that were contested on the European clay in 2016 and 2017 respectively.
Today’s encounter was not their most entertaining match but it did provide a few highlights. The first set went by in the blink of an eye, with Kyrgios breaking Nadal’s first two service games and jumping to a 4-0 lead. Rafa was not having his best day at the service line and when he went down a second break, you could hear the murmur of the crowd echoing through the stadium in disbelief. With Kyrgios averaging 130 mph on his serve, it was virtually impossible to dig out of a double-break deficit even for someone as great as Rafael Nadal.
You could sense Kyrgios getting under Nadal’s skin in the first set, especially when the Australian tried a tweener half-volley in the middle of a point. Not only did this frustrate Nadal, but this was the moment when the crowd started to turn against the youngster from Down Under. However, the frustration hindered Nadal’s play instead of helping the Spaniard, who continued to make too many unusual errors. There were a few moments throughout the match during which Kyrgios had the audacity to attempt the “SABR”. This is when the returner sneaks up to the service box and attempts a half-volley winner on their opponent’s serve to disrupt their rhythm. The shot was made popular by Roger Federer a few years ago.
Kyrgios eventually won the first set 6-2 to the crowd’s dismay. There were moments when it felt like the only person in the stadium pulling for Kyrgios was his own mother. This tends to happen when you find yourself across the net from Nadal or Federer. Ask Djokovic how this feels.
As the second set began, the crowd was treated to a firework display from Kings Island Amusement Park, while the DJ played Katy Perry’s song “Firework” over the loud speaker. It was the shot of adrenaline that this match needed. The crowd became more enthusiastic and Nadal even felt the electricity in the air.
The second set started with Nadal holding serve and jumping to a 2-1 lead. The fourth game was definitely a pivotal moment in the match when Nadal was up 15-30 and then eventually 30-40 on Kyrgios’ serve, but the Mallorca native missed a routine forehand that allowed Kyrgios to take over the game and even the score at 2-2. Kyrgios broke Nadal in the next service game and eventually went up 5-3. When serving to stay in the match, Nadal saved two match points with a service winner and taking advantage of a backhand error from Kyrgios. Kyrgios served for the match at 5-4 but failed to capitalize on the opportunity, with Nadal pulling even at 5-5 and treating the crowd to his trademark “Vamos”. Unfortunately, this excitement was short lived because Nadal had his most abysmal service game of the match at the most crucial time. Kyrgios served out the match with ease the second time around and finished the Spaniard off with a poignant 110 mph ace.
After the match, Kyrgios smashed a ball that bounced off the window of media box, which made the crowd turn against him once again. The boos echoed throughout the stadium. It is unfortunate that someone as talented as Kyrgios can ruin one of the most important wins of his career by playing the role of the bad guy.
In his post-match press conference, Nadal looked quite irritated about the way he played, but at the same time he seemed optimistic about his season and the upcoming US Open. He mentioned how Cincinnati has never been a good tournament for him, except for 2013 when he won the title. The combination of the humid conditions with the type of balls that are used for the event are apparently an Achille’s heel for the Spaniard. He was also asked about the black ribbon that he wore on his jacket to honor the victims of the recent terrorist attack in Barcelona and he candidly expressed how emotional he was over the tragedy.
