Nick Kyrgios Loses to Karen Khachanov in Five Sets

Nick Kyrgios’ time at the 2022 US Open came to an end early Wednesday morning. 

The Australian, who is ranked No. 25 in the world, was defeated by Russian Karen Khachanov in five sets that gave viewers the full Kyrgios experience — complete with a nagging injury, the occasional outburst and over three-and-a-half hours of top-notch tennis. 

Kyrgios, the 23-seed, advanced to the quarterfinals by beating a different Russian — No. 1 Daniil Medvedev. He didn’t have the same luck against No. 27-seed Khachanov, who jumped out to an early lead, winning the first set 7-5. Kyrgios responded with a win of his own, besting Khachanov 6-4.

The pair went back and forth, each winning a set, before Khachanov broke to open the fifth set and held on to win 6-4. 

Throughout the match, Kyrgios kept grabbing at his leg, even calling out to the trainer  “I can’t walk.” News of a nagging knee injury dates back to last month when he lost to American Taylor Fritz in two sets, sparking rumors that he was not in his normal form ahead of the last Grand Slam of the calendar year. 

Kyrgios has enjoyed a meteoric rise since turning pro a decade ago, sparked by a 2014 upset of Rafael Nadal to reach the quarterfinals of Wimbledon. However, he is more commonly known for his aggressive style of play that frequently results in expletive-laced rants and outburst. Immediately following Wednesday’s loss, Kyrgios proceeded to bash two rackets on the ground at the Arthur Ashe Stadium. 

Khachanov, ranked No. 31 in the world, advanced to his first Grand Slam semifinal with the win. He’ll face Norwegian Casper Rudd — the No. 7 player in the world and No. 5 seed in the tournament — on Friday.