(Tennis news) Nick Kyrgios was knocked out of the US Open after a 7-5 4-6 7-5 6-7 (3) 6-4 defeat at the hands of Russia’s Karen Khachanov. The fiery Australian took his frustration out on his racquets by destroying two of them before walking out of the court. Both the players were tied 1-1 in head-to-head fixtures ahead of the match and Kyrgios looked a bit deflated, needing a medical timeout for his knee in the opening set against Khachanov. The Australian then went on to take the second set and during the third, Kyrgios had two chances to break at 4-4 but failed to take either.

Kyrgios is known for his fiery temper and was seen throwing his racquet in temper after his second chance to break. The 27 year old has already been fined $18,500 during the tournament for unsportsmanlike conduct which includes spitting, swearing and smashing his racquet. The Australian looked set for defeat but pulled off a brilliant tie-break to force a decider. However, Khachanov broke serve in the opening game to take the lead and went on to resist Kyrgios’ attempts to make a comeback to secure the victory. The Russian will now face Casper Ruud in the semi-final after the 23 year old defeated Matteo Berrettini.

Speaking after the match Nick Kyrgios said “It's just devastating – like, it's heartbreaking. Pretty much every other tournament during the year is a waste of time, really. You should just run up and show up at a Grand Slam. That's what you're remembered by." Khachanov said “I was prepared. I was expecting that the crowd would be more for him, that he was the favourite in their eyes. I'm really proud of myself. I was really focused from the beginning to the end." 

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