Nick Kyrgios destroys rising US star JJ Wolf to potentially set up mouth-watering clash against world No.1 Daniil Medvedev in the fourth round of the US Open
- Kyrgios has destroyed the US wildcard 6-4 6-2 6-3 in their third round match
- He will now either meet Medvedev or Chinese history maker Wu Yibing
- It shapes as a mini final, with the winner getting a clear path to the US Open final
- Medvedev was forced to sit out Wimbledon where Kyrgios was a finalist
Australian Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios is on a collision course for a showdown with world No.1 Daniil Medvedev after dispatching US rising star JJ Wolf 6-4 6-2 6-3 at the US Open.
Wolf was a wildcard entrant at the US Open but shocked many by reaching the third round, including taking the scalp of 16th seeded Roberto Bautista Agut in straight sets.
Kyrgios cruised through the opening two sets before he met some resistance in the third. However he ultimately took control again for another straight sets victory.
Medvedev will face Wu Yibing who became the first Chinese national to reach the third round of the US Open in the history the tournament since 1881.
Kyrgios celebrates as he defeats Wolf to progress to the final 16 at the US Open championship
The winner will meet Kyrgios in the fourth round.
‘It was a very tough match for me, JJ is a home town favourite so I had to be on my guns today,’ Kyrgios said.
‘I’m happy to be playing Medvedev, if he is winning.’
The win means this is the deepest into the draw Kyrgios has ever progressed at the US Open.
Playing second fiddle for once to fellow Australian and former girlfriend Ajla Tomljanovic, Kyrgios was ushered on to Louis Armstrong the same time as Tomljanovic arrived at Arthur Ashe Stadium to face retiring great Serena Williams.
Kyrgios wasted only three sets and less than two hours on court. The Wimbledon finalist will likely need every ounce of energy for his last-16 match.
Barring an upset loss to Chinese qualifier Yibling, Kyrgios will square off with Medvedev in the first heavyweight battle of the Open.
Kyrgios leads the Russian 3-1 head to head and upstaged the top seed only three weeks ago in Montreal.
If anyone can deny Medvedev back-to-back titles at Flushing Meadows, especially in Novak Djokovic’s absence, it’s the mercurial Kyrgios.
Kyrgios congratulates Wolf who reached the third round as a local wildcard at the US Open
A last-16 clash on Sunday would be worthy of a final, with officials unhappy to lose either of the two big drawcards before the quarter-finals stage.
Tomljanovic is also through to the last 16 in New York for the first time following her emotion-charged 7-5 6-7 (4-7) 6-1 third-round triumph over Williams.
Unlike Kyrgios’s cakewalk, Tomljanovic needed three hours, five minutes, six match points and the performance of her life to send Williams into retirement.
A two-time Wimbledon quarter-finalist, Tomljanovic’s reward is a clash with red-hot Russian Lludmila Samsonova on Sunday for a place in the last eight in consecutive grand slams.
Kyrgios and Tomljanovic are Australia’s last two survivors in the singles draws after Alex de Minaur suffered a 6-1 6-1 3-6 7-6 (7-5) third-round loss to Spanish 12th seed Pablo Carreno Busta.
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