US Open 2022: Fans stunned as Nick Kyrgios knocks out defending champion Daniil Medvedev

It keeps getting exciting and trickier at the 2022 US Open. On Monday morning, defending champion Daniil Medvedev of Russia was knocked out in the pre-quarters at the Flushing Meadows. It was a four-setter match during which Nick Kyrgios of Australia continued his flawless run from Wimbledon a couple of months back, where he finished as the runner-up. He beat the Russian 7-6(11), 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. With this win, the Australian has extended his head-to-head lead over the defending champion 4-1. As a result, Medvedev would again be losing his top spot in the ATP Rankings, while either Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz or Casper Ruud would reach the summit after the Grand Slam concludes.

Post Medvedev ouster, Kyrgios reckoned, "What a place to do it. Packed house in New York! I want to go all the way. Hopefully, it is possible. I just thought I played the right way. I returned unbelievable today. I just thought the third and fourth sets were just so free. I just had a lot of fun, embracing every moment on [Arthur] Ashe [Stadium] today. Proud of that."

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"I felt like I disrupted his rhythm a little bit, didn't let him get comfy behind the baseline, play his style of tennis. I think that's what you have to do. But, I was overall pretty happy with my performance. I'm just glad I can finally show New York my talent. I haven't played great tennis [earlier], to be honest. It's taken me 27 years," concluded Kyrgios.

As a result of this victory, Kyrgios has jumped seven places in the ATP Rankings to 18th. He has replaced Alex de Minaur as the highest-ranked Australian player, while the former has been ranked so high for the first time since August 2018. Kyrgios was 137th just six months ago, while his highest ranking happened to be 13th in 2016.

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