Kyrgios showcased his high-level play in the second match of the day, impressing with a 17-8, 21-9, 15-11 victory over Ruud. Despite playing only three matches since reaching the US Open quarter-finals in 2022, the Australian was pleased with his performance.
“I wasn’t expecting to play this well at all,” Kyrgios admitted. “Coming out here and still having that level, it’s amazing. What a way to come back.”
In a rare display of emotions, Kyrgios shared his journey to returning to tennis in New York, expressing his emotions and doubts about his future in the game over the past 11 months.
Kyrgios emotional about New York comeback
“Obviously pretty emotional, it’s been a brutal 11 months,” Kyrgios confessed in his on-court interview, reflecting on his doubts about playing again due to his wrist injury. He revealed, “I didn’t know if I was going to play tennis again with the state of my wrist. It was literally conversations of never playing again.”
The Australian was pleasantly surprised by his performance at UTS New York and was pleased with how his wrist held up in his first match of the year, attributing his success to the hard work he has put in back home.
“I’ve been putting in some serious work, every single day back home,” he said, acknowledging the challenge of facing a top player like Casper.
Fellow Australian De Minaur also had a strong start in New York, defeating Denis “Shapo” Shapovalov 3-0 and securing a spot in the year-end final in London.
Andrey “Rublo” Rublev (3) in the biggest upset of the day.
Bublik’s “most nervous match” in career
Bublik displayed impressive tennis on Thursday, defeating Tsitsipas in a tense sudden-death decider, which set a UTS record for being the longest-ever sudden death match.
“The most nervous match I’ve ever played in my life,” he said after winning the match.
“This was crazy, it was a rollercoaster. So tense. I’ve played some big finals in my life, but nothing like this.”
“I felt more tension in this match than when I was serving for the Halle final.”
Bublik also became just the second player in the UTS history to steal a quarter, showcasing his skill and determination on the court.
UTS New York – results summary
Thursday’s quarter-finals results are as follows:
- Alex “The Demon” de Minaur (1) beat Denis “Shapo” Shapovalov 3-0 (17-16, 19-13, 19-13)
- Nick “King” Kyrgios beat Casper “The Iceman” Ruud (2) 3-0 (17-8, 21-9, 15-11)
- Alexander “The Bublik Enemy” beat Stefanos “El Greco” Tsitsipas (4) 3-2 (20-12, 11-17, 18-17, 10-20, 5-3)
- Gael “La Monf” Monfils beat Andrey “Rublo” Rublev (3) 3-0 (19-12, 15-10, 18-14)
Two semi-finals and two consolation matches are scheduled at UTS New York for tomorrow, with play beginning at 4pm on Friday. The day’s schedule includes:
- 4pm – The Iceman vs Shapo (classification)
- 5pm – El Greco vs Rublo (classification)
- 6pm – King Kyrgios vs La Monf (semi-final)
- 7pm – The Demon vs The Bublik Enemy (semi-final)
- 8:30pm – UTS New York final
Tickets for Friday’s play are still available and can be purchased here.
