Nick Kyrgios impressively rallied past Stefanos Tsitsipas at the Halle grass court tournament on Wednesday to hammer home his status as a Wimbledon threat but only after a spat with the chair umpire over sweating.
Kyrgios defeated World No 6 Tsitsipas 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 to reach a second successive quarterfinal after also making the last eight in Stuttgart five days ago.
The 27-year-old smashed his racquet after losing the opener after saving three set points.
He then got into a minor spat with the chair umpire in the third game of the second set, landing himself with a warning for time-wasting.
“He said I was playing too slow – statistically I’m one of the fastest,” Kyrgios said.
“I had to walk to the sidelines to get my towel, there is this thing called sweat in 30 Celsius heat that runs down onto your hands.
“I needed to wipe my hands and he gave me a warning.”
Kyrgios immediately sat down mid-game on his bench and thrashed the point out with the chair before returning to the court amid cheers.
“The support I get from crowds around the world is amazing. They want me to go out and put on a show,” he said.
Kyrgios called what he judged a frivolous warning “an unnecessary part of the game….
