Nick Kyrgios displayed some trademark curiosities in his opening match in Atlanta on Thursday, but came through on a day in which two seeds fell to surprising second round defeats.
Kyrgios was the star of the day, however, dispatching American qualifier Noah Rubin 7-5, 6-2 in just 58 minutes, slamming 15 aces and winning 83 percent of points on his serve.
Early in the match, however, Kyrgios seemed most interested in odd service motions. He appeared to imitate the serves of Gael Monfils, Ivo Karlovic and Roger Federer, which he confirmed in his on-court interview. At the same time, he put in poor early performances on Rubin’s service games, allowing the first five games to finish in less than 20 minutes.
Nonetheless, he ramped up his play, earning three set points on Rubin’s serve at 5-6 and hitting a supreme short forehand to convert one. He lost the opening service game of the second set, but broke back immediately and rolled to the finish line.
“I was a little bit nervous coming out,” said Kyrgios, the 2016 Atlanta winner. “I knew he’s in some good form. I feel comfortable playing here. It feels like home.”
Asked about the service impersonations, the No. 2 seed offered a revealing explanation. “At times I get a little bit bored,” he said. “I try to keep myself stimulated.”
Earlier in the day, Cameron Norrie came from behind to beat No. 6 seed Jeremy Chardy 5-7, 6-4, 6-4, setting up a quarterfinal meeting with Kyrgios. Chardy smashed a pair of his 29 winners on the final two points of the first set, breaking Norrie’s serve, but the longtime American collegian responded with a bevy of winners himself.
The Brit eventually had 27 winners of his own, but tallied just 14 unforced errors to a whopping 39 for the veteran Frenchman. Chardy lost his serve just twice, but he never again reached break point in a match with just six of them. Norrie passed an onrushing Chardy twice in the opening game of the final set to set up two break points; he converted one and held his last 10 service games to win.
Elsewhere, veteran Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis cruised past an errant, unimpressive Frances Tiafoe, 7-5, 6-1. Baghdatis won seven straight games spanning sets and nine of the last 10 as Tiafoe tallied nine double faults and faced 13 break points.
Baghdatis appeared in trouble after failing to convert a handful of woeful Tiafoe service games early in the first set — in one particular shocker, the No. 5 seed double faulted three times, rolled in a 60-some miles per hour serve and still held — but quickly turned the tables. After breaking at 5-5, Baghdatis demolished the American, who collapsed completely and missed shots by several meters.
The 33-year-old will play No. 4 seed Matthew Ebden, who eased past Donald Young, in the quarterfinals.
