A pumped-up Nick Kyrgios continued his impressive start to the season on Sunday, overcoming Fabio Fognini 6-2, 6-4 to reach the fourth round at the Miami Open presented by Itau for a fifth consecutive time.
In a battle between two of the best shotmakers on Tour, it was the Australian who came out on top on Hard Rock Stadium in an absorbing clash. The wild card pulled Fognini from corner to corner, combining power with deft touch to advance after 61 minutes.
“I wanted to keep the momentum going,” Kyrgios said in his on-court interview. "As soon as I had break points I wanted to take them. I served well and I am happy to be through. I am just returning well. My doubles has helped me a lot on my singles court. The way I am serving and returning is quite a sight to see.”
With his victory, Kyrgios has improved to 7-2 on the season, having arrived in Miami on the back of a run to the quarter-finals at the BNP Paribas Open. The wild card has also moved to 2-0 in his ATP Head2Head series with the Italian after also winning their previous meeting at the third-round stage in Miami in 2018.
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Kyrgios has fond memories in Florida after he reached the semi-finals at the ATP Masters 1000 event in 2016 and 2017. The World No. 102 is aiming to capture his first tour-level title since he triumphed in Washington in 2019.
The 26-year-old, who emphatically eliminated World No. 7 Andrey Rublev in straight sets earlier this week, will next play #NextGenATP Italian Jannik Sinner or 17th seed Pablo Carreno Busta.
In an engaging contest, Kyrgios looked in control throughout as Fognini struggled to deal with his power and precision. After flying out of the blocks by breaking in the first game, Kyrgios dictated on serve, not facing a break point to move ahead. According to Infosys ATP Stats, Kyrgios fired 24 winners and lost just eight points on serve as he sealed victory after breaking in the ninth game of the second set.
Fognini , who was making his 10th appearance in Miami, was bidding to reach the fourth round at the hard-court tournament for just the third time, with his best result a run to the semi-finals in 2017.
from Tennis - ATP World Tour https://ift.tt/X8wTycG
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