In a thrilling four-set victory on a fun night in New York, Nick Kyrgios put an end to Daniil Medvedev’s claim of the US Open title.
In a 7-6 (13-11) 3-6 6-3 6-2 victory in the round of 16, the 27-year-old Australian showcased all of his shotmaking skills and propensity for drama.
The 26-year-old Medvedev will drop from the top spot after the loss.
In the quarterfinals, Kyrgios will take against another Russian, the 27th seed Karen Khachanov.
Khachanov defeated 12-seed Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain over the course of a 4-6 6-3 6-1 4-6 6-3 victory to advance to his third Grand Slam quarterfinal.
“It was an amazing match. Daniil is the defending champion and a lot of pressure on his shoulders, but I’ve been playing great recently,” said 23rd seed Kyrgios, who will move back into the world’s top 20 after the win.
“People were really starting to doubt my ability to pull out matches like this at majors. I’m really proud of myself because it hasn’t been easy dealing with all the criticism.”