Kyrgios wins in Shanghai to set up clash against Nishikori

Nick Kyrgios complained at ball boys throughout his Shanghai Masters match with Andreas Haider-Maurer but still managed to win.

Kyrgios sent down 13 aces and won 76 per cent of his service points to breeze past the Austrian in one hour and five minutes.

Kyrgios found himself in hot water last week when he was issued a code violation in his quarter-final loss at the Japan Open for hitting a ball into the ceiling.

World No. 6 Nishikori will enter their clash rested after enjoying the bye in the first round. “He’s playing well. So I know what I have to do”.

When Bernard Tomic arrived to watch the second set Kyrgios told his friend and fellow countryman: “Mate, it’s an absolute circus”.

Kyrgios hit the headlines in August after crude comments he made during a match in Montreal about Swiss player Stanislas Wawrinka’s reported girlfriend, Donna Vekic.

Television broadcaster ESPN also had to apologise as his swearing became audible on the televised match against Frenchman Benoit Paire.

Shanghai: Former US Open champion Marin Cilic fought off a match point before rallying to defeat local hope Wu Di of China 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4) in the opening round of the Shanghai Masters on Monday.

World number 227 Wu was on the brink of pulling off a major shock when he had a match point at 5-4 up in the deciding set, but Cilic stood firm and went on to edge a tie-break to seal his place in the second round.

American Steve Johnson cut short Italian Andreas Seppi’s campaign with a 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 win.

Another Chinese player Bai Yan lost 0-6, 1-6 to Argentine veteran Leonardo Mayer while Bai’s Nanjing pal Zhang Ze fell to Martin Klizan of Slovakia 6-7 (8), 2-6 on center court.

Ivo Karlovic will take aim at eighth seed and 2009 runner-up Rafael Nadal, yesterday’s China Open finalist (l.to Djokovic), in the second round after he fired down 18 aces to beat Jeremy Chardy for the first time in their third meeting, 6-4, 7-6(6).