WASHINGTON (AP) — As Nick Kyrgios went through a long list of people he wanted to thank Sunday after ending a three-year title drought by lifting the trophy at the site of his last triumph, the Washington Open, mentioned the judges of the tournament.
Then the Wimbledon runner-up added with a smile: “The relationship is still difficult with the judges.”
Kyrgios extended the best streak of his career and delivered another performance that will make him an opponent to take seriously at the US Open, saving the only break point he faced in the final en route to a 6-4, 6-3 victory. about Yoshihito Nishioka.
“It’s very emotional for me,” said Kyrgios, who flopped on his back on the blue court as the match ended, later speaking of what he called an “incredible transformation” of himself. He returned to that stadium in the evening to team up with Jack Sock and also win the doubles trophy, defeating French Open runners-up Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek 7-5, 6-4.
Earlier on Sunday, Liudmila Samsonova won her second career WTA title as she came from behind to beat sixth-seeded Kaia Kanepi 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the Washington Open women’s final.
Kyrgios captured his seventh career tour-level singles title where he won his sixth in 2019: On the hard courts of the US capital in a prep tournament for Flushing Meadows.
Kyrgios managed to break Japan’s Nishioka, who is ranked 96th in the world and who eliminated favorite Andrey Rublev in the semifinals, three times in the first game of each set and again in the final game of the match.
“I couldn’t figure out his serve,” said Nishioka, who praised the 27-year-old Australian for being “more focused” than before in his career.
Samsonova is a Russian who reached a career-high ranking of 25th in May, but is currently ranked 60th after being forced to miss parts of the current season, including Wimbledon, due to her country’s attack on Ukraine. The 23-year-old used a powerful serve that hit 119 mph against Kanepi to power her way into the key at the hard-court tournament, which included a triumph over reigning US Open champion Emma Raducanu.
The other title of Samsonova’s career came last year at a grass-court tournament in Berlin. Kanepi, 37, was seeking her first trophy since 2013. The Estonian left the court for medical attention in the third set on Sunday due to what she said was an abdominal muscle problem.