Tennis bad boy Nick Kyrgios lost his cool once again as he sealed Australia’s loss to Germany in the Davis Cup.
Alexander Zverev cruised to an easy straight sets victory over the beleaguered World No. 14 on Sunday, giving the Europeans an unassailable 3-1 lead.
The 23-year-old’s frustration boiled over in the second set tiebreaker when he destroyed one of racquets by smashing it to the ground after missing a shot.
Nick Kyrgios smashed a racquet during an outburst at the Davis Cup
His tantrum cost the highest-ranked Aussie a one-point penalty, putting him in a 0-4 hole he never made it out of, losing the set then being swept aside in the third.
After his partner Alex de Minaur and doubles pair Matthew Ebden and John Peers lost earlier, Kyrgios’ 6-2, 7-6, 6-2 defeat sealed Australia’s fate.
The highly-strung player appeared to be struggling with an elbow injury that slowed his serve and left him vulnerable to Zverev’s counterattack.
He looked frustrated from the outset and required a second set medical time-out to treat the troublesome elbow.
His temper was on display after he missed a shot during the match
His tantrum cost the highest-ranked Aussie a one-point penalty
The racquet was completely destroyed after the outburst
Kyrgios made 34 unforced errors against the big-serving Zverev, who made him pay.
The German’s serve again proving the difference: he slammed 15 aces and enjoyed a 71 per cent first serve percentage.
What was supposed to be the match of the tie became one way traffic after Zverev blew away Kyrgios to take the first set in 23 minutes.
Kyrgios tried to hang in but all but sabotaged his second set tiebreak with his racquet abuse penalty.
Kyrgios (pictured) looked disturbed as he received medical treatment during his loss
Zverev made short work of Kyrgios in the third set to secure a win and improve his head-to-head record to 5-2 against the Australian No. 1 in all competitions.
Kyrgios – who had won six of his past seven rubbers – now has a 9-6 Cup singles record while Zverev improved his tally to 3-4.
The loss was a blow for the hosts, who qualified for last year’s semi-finals and had won their past three home ties.
Germany will play either Great Britain or Spain in the quarter-finals.
Alexander Zverev survived the outburst and looked elated as he celebrated victory