Miami Open 2019: Borna Coric passes Nick Kyrgios test
The match between Borna Coric and Nick Kyrgios in the 4th round of the Miami Open was a perfect example of textbook technique vs eclectic variety.
While Coric plays every shot in the way it was meant to be played, Kyrgios does the exact opposite of that. Amidst all his controversies, his game gets less recognition, but it should be celebrated and applauded more than those controversies.
Kyrgios might be inconsistent but he can make the crowd go into a frenzy with some of his shots. Here's one from the match against Coric:
If this no-look shot and tweener are anything to go by, Kyrgios should have probably won the match. But in reality he lost, despite looking in the driver's seat after the first set.
Kyrgios was down by a break in the first set with the score reading 3-1. But he then played some of his phenomenal shots and entertained the crowd as well as he won the break back.
Coric's first serve was below par in the first set, with only 45% of first serves made. The Croat struggled to find rhythm in the latter half of the set as Kyrgios cruised through. The Australian broke Coric at 4-4 and won the set 6-4.
Kyrgios had an injury timeout in the first set as he had some trouble with his knee. But he soldiered on, looking to wrap up the match as quickly as he could.
The second set was where the mental aspect of Kyrgios came into display as he smashed his racquet twice and later gave it to an excited fan in the crowd.
Even then, Kyrgios was still laughing and everything appeared to be good. But after he lost his serve at 2-2, Coric managed to hold and take a 4-2 lead.
The crowd, after the racquet fiasco by Kyrgios, was booing him constantly, and this shook Kyrgios even more. He was not timing his forehands properly and everything he tried except his serve, didn't go his way.
He lost the second set 3-6.
Coric was silently building momentum as he made only two unforced errors compared to the seven from Kyrgios's racquet.
The third set was even worse for Kyrgios as he completely lost his footwork and let several balls go easily past him. The crowd understood this to be a sign of a de-motivated Kyrgios.
Eventually his serve too lost its magic and everything was slowly transferred into the hands of Coric as he was timing his textbook shots to perfection in the third set.
Kyrgios gave away his serve at 2-2 and at 4-2 break point down, someone from the crowd agitated Kyrgios. The Aussie was quick to respond harshly and the umpire penalized him with a point off his serve and thus the score reached 5-2.
Even when the match was lost, Kyrgios still continued showcasing his genius as he hit a 108mph return winner off a first serve as Coric served for the match. He lost the match eventually 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.
Coric will now face Felix Auger-Aliassime for a place in the semi-finals.