Pantomime villains Nick Kyrgios and Daniil Medvedev to do battle once again
Two of tennis' most prolific pantomime villains will meet on the court in a US Open blockbuster on Sunday night, when reigning champion Daniil Medvedev and eternal maverick Nick Kyrgios take to Arthur Ashe Stadium for their fourth round tie.
The last time this pair met at a major was in January at the Australian Open. Medvedev won that in four tight, high-quality sets but - as is so often the case with them - the crowd took the spotlight at times.
Kyrgios, in front of his home crowd, chastised one punter for encouraging him to underarm serve, while in his on-court interview Medvedev was booed for saying those shouting "siuuuu" in between his serves had a "low IQ".
This week, their wins to this point have been mostly straightforward. World No 1 Medvedev, 26, is the favourite and has been playing better with each match after his forced hiatus from the tour earlier in the summer, due to the ban of Russian and Belarusian athletes at Wimbledon.
Kyrgios has shown uncharacteristic maturity in his tennis - for the most part - swatting away players he should be beating and keeping his composure for two of his three rounds. Not bad, considering how low the bar for his behaviour can drop, though he did pick up a $7,500 fine in the second round for swearing and spitting on the court and had a moment where he accused someone in the crowd of smoking marijuana.
Never a dull moment, but his progression to the fourth round for the first time in New York marks another significant moment in a season where Kyrgios, 27, finally came good on his talent after years of being his own worst enemy. Making the final at Wimbledon was a big part of that, but playing consistent tennis - including by defeating Medvedev in Montreal last month - by putting in the work has been key.
He says specifically working on his fitness, variety on his second serve and forehand return has been the difference: "I'm proud of it. I drove that. I didn't have a coach. I analyzed my game. I put in the work. I'm seeing the results.
"The Australian Open I felt like my level wasn't there. I played the wrong way. [Medvedev] was just in his prime. I was just nowhere near the player I am now... There's no shame in losing to a player like [Medvedev]. But I definitely feel like the way I'm playing, the game plan and the success I had against him obviously in Montreal. I definitely feel like I have a fighting chance. Not many players can say that right now."
For Kyrgios, a loss would mean he gets to go home to Australia early, which he has said represents a win-win scenario for him. For Medvedev, a loss would mean surrendering his world No 1 ranking.
There is guaranteed lights-out serving and drama to come. But embracing the different personality they bring to tennis is something they are both clear on.
"Even if sometimes people can criticize me or him... I respect no matter how he is," Medvedev said. "Nick is a little bit different from other tennis players sometimes on the court. That's his choice. That's his life. I'm not the one to judge. I feel a lot of respect for him."
