Nick Kyrgios is locked with French 21st seed Ugo Humbert in a five-set thriller at Wimbledon – but the match was suspended due to the tournament's 11pm curfew.
Kyrgios and Humbert were at 3-3 in the fifth when Wimbledon officials called time for the day on court one. Tournament referee Gerry Armstrong – dubbed 'The Grim Reaper' on match commentary – strolled on court to enforce the rule, sparking disappointed boos from the crowd.
The score was 6-4 4-6 3-6 6-1 3-3, with Kyrgios taking the first set. The match will resume on court one tomorrow. Kyrgios and Humbert have already shared an epic five-setter this year, with the Aussie prevailing in the second round at the Australian Open.
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Kyrgios was playing just his 16th competitive match in the last 18 months and his first outside of Australia, against a player who was coming off winning the Halle grass-court title in the lead-up to Wimbledon. Kyrgios is currently ranked world No.60.
Yet the Australian's booming serve was on song, with 17 aces, as was his repertoire of trick shots. It was explosive power against the class of a rising star in Humbert, who led Kyrgios 38-34 for winners..
"Fantastic see-saw tennis," former American player Brad Gilbert said on Stan Sport's commentary.
"Momentum shifts, changes and generally terrific quality throughout."
Gilbert predicted that the break may work against Kyrgios, given his extremely limited court time of late.
"After playing nearly three hours today, to come back tomorrow – especially for big servers – shoulders might be feeling just a little stiff," he said.
"It will be interesting to see how they both recover."
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