WATCH: Andy Murray shuts out Nick Kyrgios antics to progress at US Open
Andy Murray admits he could not help but laugh at Nick Kyrgiosâ outrageous on-court antics as the British number one sealed a comfortable four-set victory in the US Open first round.
Kyrgios produced a typically explosive display under the lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium but it was Murray who progressed to round two in New York with a 7-5 6-3 4-6 6-1 win.
Trick shots, apparent naps and complaints to the umpire all played their part in the Kyrgios bonanza but Murray was cool amid the chaos, and extended his record against the talented Australian to four wins out of four.
Nick Kyrgios takes a nap in his chair against Andy Murray at the US Openhttps://t.co/u4XrMgluMf
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âItâs important when youâre playing against him to just concentrate on your side of the court,â said Murray, who will now face Franceâs Adrian Mannarino in round two.
âIf you start getting distracted by that, itâs easy for you to lose your concentration.
âIâd say the times when I played against him, Iâve done a pretty good job of just concentrating on my side.
âBut in almost all the matches Iâve played, there have been a couple of points where I have laughed on the court or smiled because some of the stuff is funny.
âWhen he let go of the racquet today after the forehand, that only happens to him. It went into the crowd and thatâs funny when youâre playing against him.
âBut you need to try to concentrate on your side as much as you can.â
All the pre-match talk had been of Kyrgiosâ knack for controversy following his
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Hewittâs presence seemed to have little effect, however, as Kyrgios swung from the sublime to the ridiculous, wasting opportunities with flamboyant shots and lapses in concentration.
Serving to stay in the first set at 5-4, Kyrgios saved Murrayâs first set point with an audacious drop-shot but two games later, the Briton converted with a driving backhand to take a one-set lead.
As the match drifted in Murrayâs favour, Kyrgiosâ concentration decreased and after missing three break points, the youngster threw away his own service game with three sloppy errors.
Trailing 4-2, Kyrgios spurned four more break points and the chance for a fifth when he opted to hit a half-volley through his legs rather than finish into an open court. Murray coolly served out for a two-set advantage.
Kygrios took the third but received an audible obscenity warning from umpire Carlos Ramos as Murray broke in the first game of the fourth and it was one-way traffic thereafter.
Murray, though, said: âI actually donât think that he plays that high-risk tennis.
âItâs more the ups and downs. Like when heâs on, he doesnât play high-risk tennis.
âHe hits the ball with a lot of spin on his forehand, a lot of safety and his backhand is a really good shot, he hits it flat. The two strokes are completely different.
âHe has an excellent serve, one of the better serves on the tour.
âItâs just the sort of five or 10-minute periods in the match, it happens a little bit too often, where he has dips.
âHe misses a few serves, gets distracted or loses concentration. Thatâs where I capitalised tonight I think.â
It is the third time this year Murray has beaten Kyrgios at a major tournament after previous straight-sets wins at the Australian and French Opens.
The Scot has only dropped one set during his meetings with the world number 37 but was relieved nonetheless to come through a tough opening draw.
âHeâs played well pretty much in every grand slam tournament that heâs been part of,â Murray said.
âHeâs had big wins and pushed a lot of guys extremely hard and caused a few upsets as well.
âI expected a very tough match, and thatâs what I got.â




