Davis Cup: Australia down 2-0 in match with Kazakhstan

With Australia already 1-0 down after Thanasi Kokkinakis lost the opening match to Mikhail Kukushkin, the pressure was on Kyrgios to deliver for his country in Darwin.

It was the then that the enigmatic Aussie showed his x-factor with a nonchalant forehand lob victor that landed on the baseline and left Nedovyesov, the spectators and commentators grasping for superlatives.

But 27-year-old Davis Cup veteran Mikhail Kukushkin, ranked No. 63, used his experience to cruise past Kokkinakis 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 before world No. 113 Aleksandr Nedovyesov stunned Kyrgios 7-6 (7-5), 6-7 (2-7), 7-6 (7-5), 6-4.

To advance, Australia needs to win both reverse singles matches on Sunday and the victor will face either France or United Kingdom in the semifinals.

Kazakhstan reached the Davis Cup World Group for the first time in 2011 but have never made it past the semi-finals.

Tomic was taken into custody after failing to follow police orders to leave his hotel penthouse in Miami following a night of loud partying.

Tomic was knocked out at the All-England Club by defending champion Novak Djokovic but most of his post-match news conference was consumed by a lengthy rant which accused Tennis Australia of penny-pinching and claimed he had been charged for practising on their courts. My serve was probably the only thing I’d give a little bit of credit.

“It was hard to focus. And when I found it in the second set, I got broken straight back, which killed me”, Kokkinakis said. “It was hard to push myself because a lot has gone on”.

“I don’t want to be here” were the words of Nick Kyrgios after losing a point while receiving in the third set of his Davis Cup match against Aleksandr Nedovyesov of Kazakhstan.

With Tomic unavailable, Kokkinakis, who was preferred to big-serving Sam Groth, was handed responsibility for opening the tie against Kazakhstan’s top-ranked player.

Kyrgios hit a great forehand victor for 15-15 in the tenth game, but Nedovyesov was not to be denied, and he served out to clinch the match in two hours 36 minutes.

“I think it was a better surface for me than for my opponent”, the 27-year-old Kukushkin said.

“I’m feeling fresh, I haven’t really done too much training here at the moment”.