Tempers boil as Kyrgios stuns fourth seed Tsitsipas

Wimbledon third-round slugfest threatened to spiral out of control

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Australia's Nick Kyrgios returns to Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas during their third round men's singles match on day six of the Wimbledon tennis championships in London.
Australia's Nick Kyrgios returns to Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas during their third round men's singles match on day six of the Wimbledon tennis championships in London.
AP

London: Australian maverick Nick Kyrgios knocked out fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in a wild and wonderful Wimbledon third-round slugfest that threatened to spiral out of control on Saturday.

The 27-year-old Kyrgios produced sublime tennis to earn a 6-7(2) 6-4 6-3 7-6(7) victory but the match will be remembered chiefly as one of the most bad-tempered seen at Wimbledon for decades.

The eagerly-awaited Court One clash was the hottest ticket in town, even with Rafa Nadal playing over on Centre Court.

Lost their heads

It did not disappoint either, with scintillating tennis accompanied by mayhem as both players lost their heads.

With the lights on and a deafening atmosphere it was the unseeded Kyrgios who emerged from the chaos with one of his finest Grand Slam victories, edging a nerve-jangling fourth set tiebreak after saving a set point.

Kyrgios claimed victory with a drop shot and he will enter the last 16 for the fourth time with serious title aspirations.

Next up is unseeded American Brandon Nakashima.

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