Nick Kyrgios has broken his clay-court curse by winning his opening-round clash at the US Men’s Clay Court Championships in Houston.
The Australian ended a 1,055-day drought without a victory on clay, defeating American Mackenzie McDonald in the first round.
Kyrgios lost the first set and briefly lost his temper at the umpire after being given a time violation for going off the court for more than three minutes.
However, Kyrgios managed to regain his cool as he landed 18 aces in the match, with his serve a vital factor in his win.
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He then backed up his showing to defeat Tommy Paul in the round of 16.
The Aussie wildcard has a somewhat disdain for clay courts, with his last game on the surface coming in mid-2019 at the Italian Open.
He had retired in the second round against Casper Ruud and has refused to play tournaments such as the French Open since.
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His last win on the surface came in round one of the Italian Open.
Nearly three years later, he returned to the surface in stunning fashion - and actually seemed to have a change of heart towards the clay court.
After his win, Kyrgios said: “I slip and slide a little bit but my game actually suits clay quite well.
“Clay is obviously not my preferred surface but today I just served really well and started playing more aggressive and found another gear.”
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Despite his clay trepidations, he actually has a decent record in Houston after making the quarter-finals of the tournament in 2018.
He said: "You guys make me feel at home. I've always said if I didn't live in Australia, I'd live in the States.
"The people are so nice here. Most of my good friends on tour are American. Jack Sock is a brother of mine. I just love playing in the States, it's great conditions here."
Kyrgios has already confirmed that he won’t be taking part in the European clay-court season, making the Houston tournament his only clay competition of the year.
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However, he is set to return to the French Open in 2023 after admitting that his girlfriend Costeen Hatzi wanted to see the City of Love, Paris.
He said: “Next year I am going to go to Paris, I’m announcing that now. I’m going to the French Open. Breaking news.
“Yeah, I haven’t played that in four years so yeah I’ll be back next year.
“My girlfriend just wants to see Paris. So yeah. I mean I’ll just play the French Open as well."
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If he keeps up his Houston form in Paris, he and his girlfriend could be in for an equally eventful and romantic trip away.
Topics: Australia, Tennis, Nick Kyrgios
Jayden Collins