Nick Kyrgios ends title drought with City Open win in preparation for US Open | Tennis

passionate Nick Kyrgios He spoke of his struggle to find his best after ending a three-year drought with a win at the Citi Open final in Washington. The Australian took just 81 minutes to defeat Japanese giant killer Yoshihito Nishioka 6-4 6-3 in Sunday’s final to claim his first ATP title since winning the same event in 2019.

The 27-year-old then cemented his victory by winning the doubles title alongside American Jack Sock – his third success in doubles this year. Soon after lifting the men’s singles cup, Kyrgios joined Sock to defeat Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek 7-5, 6-4.

An exciting week in the US capital continues to mark the best year of his career for Kyrgios after reaching the Grand Slam final at Wimbledon, where he lost to Novak Djokovic.

Despite not earning any ranking points at Wimbledon due to the ATP’s objection to banning Russian and Belarusian players, Kyrgios’ win in Washington lifted him to 37th in the world rankings. Ahead of the big events in Montreal and Cincinnati, it means Kyrgios is getting close to the US Open that begins August 29 in New York.

“To see what I’ve been up to from last year to now, it’s just an amazing transformation,” Kyrgios said in a post-match interview. “I just came out with a big card. I knew I had experience on my side today. I love this stadium, I’ve played a lot of good matches here, so I’m really happy with myself.

“I’ve been in some really dark places. Just to be able to turn it around… There are a lot of people who helped me get there, but I, I’ve shown some serious strength to keep going and persevere and get through all those times and keep performing and winning trophies like this. “.

Serving Kyrgios was a must throughout the tournament, as he passed 64 matches in the tournament without being broken once. The 27-year-old fired 12 aces in Sunday’s final against Nishioka and also scored 32 winners in a confident show to claim his seventh career title.

After winning the doubles title in Atlanta last week with fellow Australian Tanase Kokinakis, Kyrgios then returned to a back-to-back partnership with Sock in back-to-back group wins over Dodig and Karajcic. As in his singles win, Kyrgios and Sock held their serve throughout the final, winning 95 percent of points on their first serve in the 79-minute win.