Staff Reporter.
(Reuters) – An irritated Rafael Nadal’s pursuit of a rare calendar Grand Slam gathered momentum on Saturday as he took it upon himself to reprimand Lorenzo Sonego before condemning the Italian to a 6-1 6-2 6-4 defeat in the Wimbledon third round.
The second seed had dropped a set in each of his previous two matches at the grasscourt major but on day six he appeared to be on a mission to get the match done and dusted before darkness set in.
But when Sonego convinced officials to close the roof so that the floodlights could be turned on with the second seed leading 4-2 in the third set, Nadal did not appear happy with the decision as it meant his victory charge would be held up by at least 10 minutes.
Upon resumption, the Italian riled the Spaniard by roaring in the middle of a rally after hitting a spectacular shot.
Nadal ended up dropping his serve for the first time in the match and, like a stern headmaster, he beckoned Sonego to the net and gave him an earful about the etiquette of tennis.
That exchange only served to fire up Nadal further and he won the next two games to reach Wimbledon’s round of 16 for the 10th time.
Meanwhile Australian maverick Nick Kyrgios knocked out fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in a wild and wonderful Wimbledon third-round slugfest that threatened to spiral out of control on Saturday.
The 27-year-old Kyrgios produced sublime tennis to earn a 6-7(2) 6-4 6-3 7-6(7) victory but the match will be remembered chiefly as one of the most bad-tempered seen at Wimbledon for decades.
The eagerly-awaited Court One clash was the hottest ticket in town, even with Rafa Nadal playing over on Centre Court.
It did not disappoint either, with scintillating tennis accompanied by mayhem as both players lost their heads.
With the lights on and a deafening atmosphere it was the unseeded Kyrgios who emerged from the chaos with one of his finest Grand Slam victories, edging a nerve-jangling fourth set tiebreak after saving a set point.
Kyrgios claimed victory with a drop shot and he will enter the last 16 for the fourth time with serious title aspirations.