Kyrgios won an epic tiebreak 13-11 to grab the first set, in which both men had their own upsets. The Wimbledon finalist took a five-minute toilet break at the interval, while a shirtless Medvedev screamed at the referee, complaining about Kyrgios’ box. “They can’t do it,” fumed Medvedev. “If they do it a second time, I won’t play until someone comes out. I just told you I won’t play if they do it a second time because they can’t do it on my serve. “It’s in a professional tennis player’s box, they can’t do it on my serve. One more time and I’m out.” It’s unclear exactly what made Medvedev angry as Kyrgios’ dad and girlfriend were alongside his usual friends who travel to most events with him. They were joined by Kyrgios’ doubles partner and first round victim Thanasis Kokkinakis after the first two games. “This is not going to de-escalate things. There is already a great load of tension, and this may raise it to a new level.” During the tense tiebreak, Kyrgios screamed at his box to “tell me where to serve” several times. If his friends were giving him advice, Kyrgios would be in trouble with the referee as on-court training is prohibited. Medvedev channeled his frustration into trying to get back into the match and stormed into the second set, winning the first three games. Kyrgios was booed by the crowd as he smashed a ball into an advertising barrier. “I see you’re right. I can hit the ball anywhere on the stand. If he can, so can I,” Medvedev told the umpire about the incident, before wrapping up the set 6-3. It was Kyrgios who took the initiative in the third set, making it 6-3 after narrowly avoiding an injury scare as he fell to the court.
