Nick Kyrgios said he wants to ‘win this f***ing thing’ and asked for Aussies to ‘sink ‘p*ss and come on out’ after he and best mate Thanasi Kokkinakis stormed into the Australian Open doubles semi-finals.
In a quarter-final marred by the crowd booing during points, both teams clashing with the chair umpire and a child being left in tears after getting hit by a rogue Kyrgios shot – the Aussie pairing known as the ‘Special Ks’ won in a gruelling three-set duel.
Kokkinakis served out the first set, before New Zealand‘s Michael Venus and Germany‘s Tim Puetz claimed the contentious second.
An early break in the third and final set saw the already hyped crowd go to another level.
Fittingly, it was Kyrgios who would serve out the match and seal a famous victory, winning 7-5, 3-6, 6-3.
‘Unreal scenes. I’m not finished, I want to win this f***ing thing,’ he said after the match.
‘Hopefully Craig [Tiley] is watching and keeps us on this court. The rowdier the better. Sink p*ss then come on out.’
Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis are in to the Australian Open doubles semi-finals after winning a drama-packed and controversial match in front of their raucous home crowd
Young Aussie fans go berserk after Kyrgios and Kokkinakis book their place in the Australian Open doubles semi-finals
The Special Ks celebrate with their trademark chest bump after winning their Aus Open quarter-final 7-5, 3-6, 6-3.
The match was played in a ferocious and sometimes ugly fashion, with the crowd repeatedly booing the Aussies’ opponents, while enigmatic Kiwi Venus continued to taunt them after winning points.
Kyrgios and Venus both had screaming matches with the female chair umpire, with the Aussie saying ‘you have no idea what you’re doing’ before smashing his racquet.
She also struggled to contain the raucous John Cain Arena crowd, who continued to boo during points and even while the opposition pairing were serving.
‘There’s plenty of animals out there in the stands,’ former Aussie player Sam Groth said in Channel Nine’s commentary booth.
‘It’s good to see, it brings people through the gates and brings people to the screens that might not usually watch tennis.
‘This place has reached a level we have even not seen or heard. I’m not sure I’ve quite seen something ever like this.’
The match was played in a ferocious and sometimes ugly fashion, with the crowd repeatedly booing the Aussies’ opponents
Kyrgios and Kokkinakis embrace after winning their ‘toughest’ match as a doubles team on Tuesday afternoon
Kyrgios and Venus both had screaming matches with the female chair umpire, with the Aussie saying ‘you have no idea what you’re doing’ before smashing his racquet
The pair paid tribute to the crowd after the match, saying ‘there was nothing else like it’ after the win.
‘I haven’t played in a singles match with an atmosphere like this,’ Kokkinakis said.
Kyrgios said the win was the ‘toughest’ the Special Ks have played, but their attention was now on the big prize.
‘When we walk through that tunnel, there’s nothing like it. We don’t want anything else, this is perfect,’ Kokkinakis added.
Earlier in the match Kyrgios accidentally hit a child in the crowd with a tennis ball after lashing out from missing an easy shot, leaving the little boy in tears.
But his cries didn’t last long – as the Aussie tennis star immediately left the court to apologise before handing the kid his racquet.
The result was the best smile of the whole tournament.
Kyrgios held his hand over his mouth after he realised he’d smashed a ball into the child, raising his hand in apology and cringing after seeing the replay.
Nick Kyrgios accidentally hit a child in the crowd with a tennis ball, leaving him in tears
He then immediately ran to the edge of the stand where the boy was seated to speak with him and his mother.
The child’s family saw the lighter side of the incident, smiling and reassuring him as he burst into tears.
The 26-year-old continued to check on the condition of the boy, before handing the the little fan his racquet.
The young supporter’s eyes then lit up and a huge smile swept over his face.
The boy burst into tears in attendance after being smashed with a rogue Kyrgios shot
But the little boy’s cries didn’t last for long – as the Aussie tennis legend left the court to hand the him a racquet
Kokkinakis served out the opening set 7-5 for the Aussie pairing against Venus and Puetz.
Venus was overheard complaining to the umpire following the set, saying he ‘doesn’t want to hear it’ after being warned over taking too long on his serve.
The Kiwi believed he was operating within the 25 second Grand Slam serve clock, aggressively pointing at the female official.
Kyrgios and Kokkinakis watched on as Venus refused to let the issue go, before the second set resumed.
Venus earned an early break in the second set for his pairing, screaming and cheering as he walked past his Aussie opponents after winning the game.
The Aussie pair then fell down an early break, with Kyrgios questioning why the serve clock hadn’t been reset earlier on key points.
‘You have no idea what you’re doing,’ he said to the French umpire.
Kyrgios has been gesturing to the crowd throughout the match, encouraging their raucous behaviour
Younger members have continued the Siu trend, emulating the celebration of Cristiano Ronaldo whenever Kyrgios hits a winner
The crowd were at their rambunctious best, cheering and jeering every point.
They booed the umpire after repeated attempts to ask them to be quiet during points.
Younger members continued the ‘Siu’ trend, emulating the celebration of Cristiano Ronaldo whenever Kyrgios hits a winner.
Kyrgios smashed his racquet after losing the second set, as he and Venus continued to trade words.
It became a running theme throughout the second and third sets as the Kiwi embraced his villain role.