Citi Open: Nick Kyrgios beats Daniil Medvedev to win in Washington
A focused Nick Kyrgios has won his second ATP Tour title of the year with a hard-fought victory over Daniil Medvedev in the Washington Open final.
Despite a troublesome back, Kyrgios fired 18 aces on his way to a 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (7-4) victory over the Russian third seed, including one on match point when he requested advice from a member of the crowd on where to direct his serve for the third successive match.
Kyrgios backed up his semi-final victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas with his second career win over Medvedev.
The result improves his win-loss record against top-10 opponents this year to 5-1 for a winning percentage of 83, which is the best on the ATP Tour in 2019.
The 24-year-old will pocket $537,830 for claiming his sixth career ATP tournament success.
But more importantly he will rise 25 spots to world number 27 when the rankings are updated this week and is in line for a seeding at the US Open later this month.
"It's amazing," Kyrgios said.
"I've proved to myself and a lot of people that have backed me that I still have it. It's been one of the best weeks of my life from a tennis perspective."
Kyrgious celebrates victory with a spectator in the stands in Washington
Kyrgios finished with 111 aces through six matches in Washington.
In a match dominated by serve, neither Kyrgios nor Medvedev faced a breakpoint with the Australian edging total points won 72 to 71.
Kyrgios, somewhat subdued during the first set, was more demonstrative after receiving treatment before the start of the second set and delighted the crowd once again with his array of shot making.
He saved his first under-arm serve until the second set, showcased his array of tweeners, including a lob and a drop shot.
He hit a stack of winners and held his nerve when it mattered as some Medvedev unforced errors in the tiebreakers proved decisive.
Kyrgios and Medvedev will meet again in a few days if the Canberran gets past Kyle Edmund in his opening round of the Montreal Masters.
