Photo

Nick Kyrgios had issues with his bag, among other things, during a four-set loss to Andy Murray.Credit Michelle V. Agins/The New York Times

Stories from Our Advertisers

It did not take much to set off the volatile Australian Nick Kyrgios on Tuesday night. Troubled by the late-arriving fans, the positioning of the lights and the defensive range of Andy Murray, Kyrgios began to unravel. Quickly. It was precisely the sort of entertainment the crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium was hoping to see.

Three weeks earlier, Kyrgios made fans wag their fingers when courtside microphones caught his crass remarks to Stan Wawrinka during a Rogers Cup match in Montreal. The trash talk ruffled the normally staid professional tennis community. The ATP fined him $10,000, with a stern warning that more penalties would be coming if he acted up again.

Kyrgios, 20, was just beginning to be recognized for his burgeoning talent — his speed, aggressiveness and blistering forehands helped him rise as high as No. 25 in the world in June. But with the Montreal episode, and other instances of brazenness and immaturity, Kyrgios was earning notoriety instead.

Against Murray, the No. 3 seed, Kyrgios’s self-destruction began early. Throughout the match, he bickered with the umpire, tossed his racket and gambled with trick shots at inopportune moments. In the end, Murray won, 7-5, 6-3, 4-6, 6-1.

Continue reading the main story

2015 U.S. Open Results: Day 2

Serena Williams needs the U.S. Open title this year to complete the Grand Slam. Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer are favorites on the men’s side.

' ); } else { d.write( '' ); } require( ['foundation/main', staticPath + 'live-update-flextype-v4.js'], function () { require( ['live-updates-flextype-promo'], function (widget) { widget( id, flexData ); } ); } ); }(document));

“I thought I created opportunities,” Kyrgios said. “I tried to take them. His defense was unbelievable again tonight.”

There were flashes of brilliance from Kyrgios, a 6-foot-4 former basketball player. In the first set, tied at 3-3, he woke up a sellout crowd with a between-the-legs shot that set up a steaming forehand winner. A little later in the set, he capped a long rally by dropping a soft shot over the net that even Murray could not reach before it bounced twice.

Certainly Kyrgios cuts a striking on-court figure. He boasted a black Mohawk with lines shaved into the right side of his scalp like an electrocardiogram. He kept the collar popped on his shirt and brandished a nylon sleeve on his left arm. Along with highlighter-yellow socks and fuchsia sneakers, his style set up an intriguing contrast to Murray, the two-time Grand Slam winner.

But as the match wore on, Kyrgios’s aesthetics took a backseat to his antics. His focus appeared to scatter. He bounced balls off his head. He grew agitated by fans who were slow to get to their seats as he was trying to serve.

“Middle of the game,” Kyrgios muttered to himself. “Unreal.”

A little later, Kyrgios took up his complaint with the chair umpire. “Fifteen-love and they let 30 people in,” he said.

The lights at Ashe also bothered him. He pointed toward the upper rim with a dismayed look after Murray polished off the first set.

“The way the lights were positioned on the roof was a bit tough for me, especially with the ball toss,” Kyrgios said.

2015 U.S. Open

He crumbled even more in the second set. He leapt into shots with erratic imprecision. He looked lethargic at some points and played at warp speed at others. Between sets, he slouched in his chair with his eyes closed, as if he were napping.

It was odd behavior, but the crowd seemed amused. Even Murray cracked a smile.

“Some of the stuff is funny,” Murray said. “I mean, when he let go of the racket today after the forehand, I mean, that only happens to him. It went into the crowd.”

Kyrgios regained some of his composure in the third, assisted by Murray’s eight unforced errors. But in the fourth, Kyrgios drew a warning from the umpire for using an audible obscenity (or two). He made 12 unforced errors and struggled with his second serve. Murray ended with a flourish, winning 26 of 38 points.

“Just sort of five- or 10-minute periods in the match, it happens a little bit too often,” Murray said, “where he has dips, misses a few serves, like gets distracted or loses concentration. That’s where I capitalized tonight.”

Murray had been one of the few players who offered Kyrgios a pass for his behavior at the Rogers Cup, saying before the Open that everyone at age 19 or 20 has made regrettable mistakes.

“He’s always had nice things to say about me,” Kyrgios said, adding that he hoped everyone had moved on from the controversy.

“I’d like to think that I’m going to learn from it,” Kyrgios said. “I think I have. I think I’m on the right path.”

Earlier on Tuesday, fifth-seeded Stan Wawrinka slipped past Spain’s Albert Ramos-Vinolas, 7-5, 6-4, 7-6 (6). In the late match, in the women’s draw, No. 5 Petra Kvitova defeated Laura Siegemund, 6-1, 6-1.