Nick Kyrgios shrugged off a shoulder injury to beat Brandon Nakashima in five sets and book a place in the Wimbledon quarter-finals on Monday, staying on course for a blockbuster clash against Rafael Nadal. The maverick Australian was on his best behaviour just two days after his stormy third-round victory against Stefanos Tsitsipas, winning 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/2), 3-6, 6-2. Kyrgios kept his cool on a sun-drenched Centre Court in match lasting three hours and 11 minutes to book a last-eight tie against Chile’s Cristian Garin.
The 27-year-old recovered from a slow start and his shoulder issue to strike his groundstrokes more freely as the match went on.
Kyrgios, who had regular physio treatments, hammered 79 winners including 35 aces, breaking the 20-year-old Nakashima’s serve three times to improve to 11-2 on grass in 2022.
The last time the 40th-ranked player reached the last eight at a major was at the Australian Open in 2015, a year after he reached the same stage on his debut at the All England Club.
“I have played a lot of tennis in the past month and a half,” he said. “I am proud of the way I steadied the ship after he came out firing in the fourth set.
“My five-set record is pretty good. That is what I was thinking about. I have played a lot of five-set matches here.”
Kyrgios will next play Garin, who battled back from two sets down and saved two match points to beat 19th seed Alex de Minaur of Australia.
The unseeded Chilean took the third set on a tie-break and went on to win 2-6, 5-7, 7-6 (7/3), 6-4, 7-6 (10/6) in a gruelling contest lasting four hours and 34 minutes.
Promoted
“I tried to be aggressive, went to the net, and tried to be aggressive with my serve as well. I think that was the key,” he said.
Elsewhere, 11th seed Taylor Fritz cruised past Australian qualifier Jason Kubler 6-3, 6-1, 6-4.
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