Nick Kyrgios of Australia in action during his singles match with Karen Khachanov of Russia during the Australian Open in Melbourne, Australia, January 25, 2020.
Australia's home favorite Nick Kyrgios put aside a bloody hand, a hamstring issue, a tiff with the chair umpire and a resilient opponent who saved a pair of match points.
When the Australian Open third-round thriller ended after about four-and-a-half hours on Saturday, Kyrgios dropped to his back behind the baseline. Guess what's next for the home-crowd favorite? A much-anticipated matchup with a familiar, but decidedly not friendly, foe: No. 1 Rafael Nadal of Spain.
Kyrgios eventually got past No. 16 Karen Khachanov 6-2, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (6), 6-7 (7), 7-6 (8) with the help of 33 aces and what sounded like an entire country of supporters in the stands.
"This is just epic, man," Kyrgios said. "Like, I don't even know what's going on."
Nick Kyrgios of Australia argues with the chair umpire during the Australian Open men's singles match in Melbourne, Australia, January 25, 2020.
"I was losing it mentally, a little bit," Kyrgios said. "I thought I was going to lose, honestly."
Along the way, he hit a dive-and-roll backhand, scraped his knuckles and, after wiping the blood, was warned for a time violation. That set off Kyrgios, who explained why play was delayed and said to the chair umpire.
There are sure to be more fireworks Monday during the eighth edition of Nadal vs. Kyrgios. Even so, Kyrgios tried to downplay the animosity Saturday, saying: "Whatever happens between us, he's an amazing player. Arguably, he's the greatest of all-time."
Czech player Karolina Pliskova feels disappointed after being knocked out at the Australian Open in Melbourne, Australia, January 25, 2020.
In women's matches, No. 2 Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic, No. 5 Elina Svitolina of Ukraine and No. 6 Belinda Bencic of Switzerland all lost in straight sets, meaning nine of the top 13 seeds already are gone.
Pliskova, the 2016 U.S. Open runner-up, lost 7-6 (4), 7-6 (3) to 30th-seeded Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. Svitolina, a semifinalist at the past two majors, was beaten 6-1, 6-2 by two-time Slam champ Garbiñe Muguruza. Bencic, a semifinalist at Flushing Meadows last September, offered even less pushback while being defeated 6-0, 6-1 in 49 minutes by 28th-seeded Anett Kontaveit.
"At this level, everything can happen," two-time major champion Simona Halep of Romania said about all of the surprises, "so that's why sometimes I'm a little bit stressed."
Halep, who is seeded fourth, stuck around by beating Yulia Putintseva 6-1, 6-4, and next plays No. 16 Elise Mertens, who ended the Grand Slam return of 20-year-old American CiCi Bellis 6-1, 6-7 (5), 6-0.