Worrying sight as Nick Kyrgios's knee ‘cooked' by first full match in months
Partnering French veteran Gael Monfils, and playing in front of NBA star Kevin Durant, the pair had a tough opening draw against third seeds Edouard Roger-Vasselin and Hugo Nys, and were beaten 6-2 6-2.
Nonetheless, just being on court in the Washington heat was something of an achievement for the 30-year-old Australian who has been dogged by injury since reaching the Wimbledon final in 2022.
Kyrgios has a current ATP ranking of 640, but has activated his protected ranking of 21 to be included on the official entry list for the final grand slam of the year in New York.
'I wanted to play singles, but six weeks ago I had a bit of a niggle with my knee,' Kyrgios said.
'So it's just going to take a bit more time.'
Worryingly though the Canberran did grab at his knee during the contest and limped towards the end, later posting on Instagram: 'Knee cooked but fans still f****d with us.'
Kyrgios last played doubles at the Australian Open in January, calling it quits in his opening match alongside Thanasi Kokkinakis when 7-5 3-2 down to fellow Aussies James Duckworth and Aleksandar Vukic.
He subsequently played three singles matches, retiring when trailling 7-6 (8-6) 3-0 in the first round at Indian Wells in March.
The wrist he had an operation on in September 2023 was still an issue.
However, he reached the second round at the Miami Open later in the month, beating McKenzie McDonald for his first singles win since 2022. In the second round he lost to Karen Khachanov and this outing in the US capital was his first match since.
Roger-Vasselin and Nys will next face Australia's Paris Olympics doubles champions Matt Ebden and John Peers after their straight-sets win.
Earlier on Monday, Chris O'Connell went down 6-3 6-2 to American Ethan Quinn, while Vukic overcame big-serving Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 6-4 3-6 6-3.
Alex de Minaur and Alexei Popyrin are also in the ATP 500 event but have received first-round byes.
De Minaur told ATPTour.com he was hoping to use the tournament as a springboard to climb the rankings ahead of the US Open.
The hip injury suffered at Wimbledon 2024 meant the Australian No.1 did not play any of the hardcourt warm-ups before Flushing Meadows, so he has plenty of ranking points to gain.
'It was somewhat difficult at the start of the year and mentally taxing knowing that I had zeros on my ranking because I missed Masters events,' the current world No.13 said.
'I knew it would be important to put myself in a good position for the back end of the year when I have little to defend, giving hope that I could gain some serious points and momentum and build on the ranking.
'So going into the tail end of the year, I'm excited for the opportunity and hoping I can play good tennis and take care of my chances.'
Looking further ahead the Sydneysider added: 'I've got the experience now. I've got the knowledge, the physicality side of things. Everything is just there for me to go out and perform.
'I can really have a swing these next three or four years and really show that I'm at my peak and break through some barriers.
'I'm ready to go deep into tournaments. It's just up to myself to put those results right.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Perth Now
a few seconds ago
- Perth Now
Aussies' winning start as Poppy gears for title defence
Adam Walton and James Duckworth have given the Australian men a winning start at the Canadian Open as Alexei Popyrin prepares to defend the Masters 1000 title he famously won last year. Walton rallied to beat Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi 4-6 6-0 6-3 in their first-round clash in Toronto on Monday (AEST). His reward is a second-round match up with top seeded Aexander Zverev, who had a first-round bye. Qualifier Duckworth beat China's Shang Juncheng 6-3 7-6 (7-3) and next meets third seed Lorenzo Musetti. Meanwhile, 18th seed Popyrin enjoyed a first-round bye before he faces 638th-ranked Canadian wild card Nicolas Arseneault in his first match. Popyrin is defending the title he won last year in Montreal when he downed Andrey Rublev in the final to become the first Australian winner of a Masters 1000 title since Lleyton Hewitt 21 years earlier. He followed that breakthrough by claiming the scalp of Novak Djokovic in the third round of the US Open before falling to Francis Tiafoe in the round of 16. However, it has not been easy going for Popyrin in recent weeks after he followed a first-round exit at Wimbledon with another first-up defeat in Washington, losing to China's lowly-ranked Wu Yibing in three sets. In the Canadian Open women's draw, Australia's Kimberley Birrell suffered a first-round loss to Canada's Victoria Mboko 7-5 6-3.
Perth Now
30 minutes ago
- Perth Now
NBA champion Alex Ducas returning to Australia
Australian NBA champion Alex Ducas has signed a one-year deal with the Brisbane Bullets in a major coup for their NBL rebuild. Part of Oklahoma City's 2024/25 championship-winning roster, 24-year-old Ducas had been linked with the Bullets for weeks before his arrival was confirmed Monday. A 201cm tall swingman originally from Geraldton, Ducas brings size and accuracy from deep to a Bullets side hoping to snap a six-year play-offs drought under new coach Stu Lash. "I'm pumped to be coming back to Australia and putting on a Bullets jersey," Ducas said. "Winning a title with OKC was unbelievable, but I'm ready to bring that energy and mindset to Brisbane." Ducas went undrafted in 2024 but signed a two-way contract at OKC to split his time between the Thunder's NBA side and their G-League affiliate. He played 21 games in his NBA rookie season but did not feature in the play-offs as the Thunder broke through for their first championship since 1979, when they were still based in Seattle as the Supersonics. Ducas nevertheless received a championship ring for his role in the squad, becoming just the ninth Australian-born player to taste NBA glory. Prior to his professional career, Ducas played college basketball at Saint Mary's, the alma mater of fellow Australian NBA players Patty Mills, Jock Landale and Matthew Dellavedova, winning the NCAA's West Coast Conference championship in 2024. Ducas' arrival at the Bullets comes after the side landed former NBL MVP Jaylen Adams, who has played the past two seasons with the Sydney Kings. "After months of targeted recruitment and behind-the-scenes strategy, the Bullets' patient approach is paying off," said Lash. "Alex has been on our radar for a long time. We waited for the right moment, and this is it. His talent and work ethic are a great fit for the club."
Perth Now
30 minutes ago
- Perth Now
Bowls marks 180 years, ramps up Olympics pitch
It started out the back of a hotel in 1845 and has since grown into a sport played by two million people at 1800 clubs across Australia. Hobart's Sandy Bay Bowls Club held a celebration on Monday to mark 180 years since the first recorded game in Australia. That match took place a few kilometres up the road at the then-named Beach Tavern between English immigrant and father-of-19 Frederick Lipscombe and T Burgess. "We know it was 25 ends, which started the tradition of 25 ends in Australia," Bowls Australia president Iain Evans said. "Mr Burgess won on the very last end. It was a very close game." The sport, which has become intertwined with Australian culture and more recently, allowed players to forgo footwear, spread its wings to Sydney and Melbourne in the following decades. The Hobart event featured a barbecue, tea and coffee and sandwiches, while young and old got to have a crack on the green. Bowls Australia used the anniversary to ramp up its push for the sport's inclusion in the 2032 Brisbane Olympics. Bowls was a demonstration, non-medal event in Seoul in 1988 and has been part of the Paralympics. "That exposure we get every four years when it is Commonwealth Games time is really exciting for us," Commonwealth Games gold medallist and world champion Rebecca Van Asch said. "To take that next step up ... would be phenomenal for the sport and how people perceive us. We think we can be really competitive on that stage." Australia boasts the No.2 and No.3 ranked men in the world and the No.2, No.3 and No.4 players on the women's side. People from WA, NSW, Victoria and South Australia travelled to Tasmania for the anniversary. "Bowls clubs are really the centre of communities … it brings people together which is why I think bowls has been so successful over 180 years," Mr Evans said. Sandy Bay Bowls Club acting president Yvonne Buckley, who was introduced to the sport by her parents, said it was an honour to host. "Bowls is not just a sport for old people, it is a sport for everyone," she said. "It's a sport that requires a degree of fitness, skill and a lot of strategy, which is why I enjoy it."
