Seppi ousts Kyrgios as Monfils enters quarters at Zhuhai C’ships

Zhuhai: Nick Kyrgios served underarm once again but the fiery Australian fell away dramatically in the second set in a limp first-round exit at the Zhuhai Championships on Wednesday.

The 24-year-old Australian, who has been accused of tanking matches in the past, led the veteran Italian Andreas Seppi 4-1 in the first set, only to go down 7-6 (7/5), 6-1.

Gael Monfils brought his best tennis to advance past Brit Cameron Norrie 5-7, 6-3, 6-4.

The third-seeded Frenchman was struggling in the conditions in the second set, leaning on his racquet for support in between points.

But the 33-year-old played hot-shot worthy tennis to break Norrie at 4-4 in the third set and served it out to reach the quarter-finals.

Monfils will next meet Spain’s Albert Ramos-Vinolas, who saved four set points in the first set en route to a 7-6(2), 6-3 win over Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic in one hour and 43 minutes.

Kyrgios, who has had numerous run-ins with tennis authorities down the years, elicited a few giggles from a sparse crowd in southern China with an underarm serve in the first set.

Coasting 3-1 and 40-0 up, the 27th-ranked Kyrgios served weakly into the net, before surging into a 4-1 lead.

But the Australian, who then appeared to be troubled by his right shoulder, faded alarmingly from there and his previously dominant serve collapsed.

He repeatedly felt his shoulder and his game disintegrated as he went down in the first-set tie break.

The second set was a non-contest as Seppi, 35, ranked 74th in the world, strolled into round two in 65 unpredictable minutes.

Elsewhere, Wimbledon champion Simona Halep was left disappointed on Wednesday after suffering a fresh injury setback in China that forced her to retire from the Wuhan Open with a lower back problem.

The world number six led Elena Rybakina by a break and looked on her way to win the first set before her Kazakh opponent drew level.

During the changeover after the ninth game Halep took a medical timeout for treatment to her back, but soon after the former world number one retired while serving at 4-5, 30-30.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian teen Dayana Yastremska scored the first top-10 win of her career over world number two Karolina Pliskova 6-1, 6-4, declaring herself one of the young talents making a splash on tour this season.

In a year where 19-year-old Bianca Andreescu has won the US Open, and 15-year-old Cori Gauff has reached the second week at Wimbledon, Yastremska picked up two WTA titles and made the fourth round at SW19.

Agencies