Kyrgios takes aim at net cord during match

MELBOURNE, Australia — Nick Kyrgios has taken aim at, of all things, the net cord at John Cain Arena during his second-round clash with Frenchman Ugo Humbert on Wednesday night.

Kyrgios, frustrated with a number of let calls throughout the first two sets of his match, threatened to stop playing if chair umpire Marijana Veljovic didn’t turn off the automatic net cord.

The Australian was called for lets consistently throughout the first two sets, and he was adamant on more than one occasion that his serves were not touching the net cord.

“Turn it off. [Umbert’s] serve missed by that much,” Kyrgios said to Veljovic while gesturing a six-inch gap, following a game in which his opponent was called for a dubious let.

“It’s ruining the game do you understand it? You don’t understand it. It’s ruining the game. How do you understand it?

“Turn it off bro. It’s this high off the net. I’m not playing until you turn it off. Even on his serve it’s up this far. It’s not just my serve.”

Umbert took the first set of their match 7-5, but Kyrgios bounced back to take the second set 6-4, before the Frenchman again gained the ascendancy – winning the third set 6-3.