Nick Kyrgios was searching for back-to-back wins for the first time since October 2022.
The Australian star returned from a long injury lay-off earlier this year but struggled for form, losing his first three singles matches on the ATP Tour.
He bounced back in Miami, as Kyrgios beat Mackenzie McDonald, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, booking his place in the second round.
It was there that his run came to an end, falling to defeat against Russia’s Karen Khachanov in straight sets.
After the match, Kyrgios took to social media, sending a message to the world number 23, who now leads their head-to-head, 3-1.
Nick Kyrgios says Karen Khachanov was ‘too good’ after losing to him at the Miami Open
The first set of Kyrgios and Khachanov’s second-round match was competitive, as nothing could separate the pair on Butch Buchholz Court.
Eventually, Khachanov clinched the first set in a tiebreaker, 7-6, [7-3], edging closer to the third round of the Miami Open.
The Aussie ran out of steam in the second as he failed to win a game, handing Khachanov the win, 7-6, 6-0.
After the match, Kyrgios took to X to share his thoughts, congratulating his ‘old friend’.
“Honestly today was a big stepping stone,” said Kyrgios.
“Karen Khachanov was just too good.
“We played a great first set but encouraging that I could finish two matches this week, plenty to work on.
“Thank you, old friend and good luck for the rest of the tournament.”
Kyrgios’ performances in Florida will see him return to the ATP rankings at 629th, having entered the event with his Protected Ranking.
It remains to be seen where fans will see the Aussie play next, however, as he is not currently scheduled to play any of the next four tournaments.
Which ATP tournament is Nick Kyrgios most likely to appear at next in 2025?
The chances of Kyrgios making a swift return to the court seem slim, as tennis transitions into the clay court season.
Kyrgios has played just 17 clay court tournaments over the past ten years, as he tends to avoid playing a full schedule on the surface.
| Year | Clay tournaments played | Matches won on clay | Best result on clay |
| 2024 | – | – | – |
| 2023 | – | – | – |
| 2022 | 1 | 2 | SF – Houston (ATP 250) |
| 2021 | – | – | – |
| 2020 | – | – | – |
| 2019 | 2 | 1 | 2R – Rome (Masters 1000) |
| 2018 | 1 | 1 | QF – Houston (ATP 250) |
| 2017 | 3 | 3 | 3R – Madrid (Masters 1000) |
| 2016 | 4 | 9 | SF – Estoril (ATP 250) |
| 2015 | 6 | 8 | F – Estoril (ATP 250) |
He last appeared at the French Open eight years ago, when he was knocked out of the competition in the second round by South Africa’s Kevin Anderson.
In a 2023 interview with The Age, Kyrgios outlined his plans to return to Paris, all thanks to his girlfriend’s love of the city.
“My girlfriend wants to know Paris, so I’m going to play at Roland-Garros 2023,” he said.
“It will be good for me to earn some more money, although I would have preferred to stay at home.”
It’s unclear whether he still intends to return to the French Capital, although Kyrgios did hint at a Wimbledon return following his exit at the Australian Open in January.
“100% I’ll play the Grand Slams,” said Kyrgios.
“I’ve got my protected ranking, obviously Wimbledon is a big one for me.
“Hopefully, if my body’s feeling good, I’ll be able to make some noise at Wimbledon.”
Kyrgios lost to Novak Djokovic in the final at SW19 on his last appearance at the event in 2022, having won the opening set.
Karen Khachanov prepares for tough Miami Open third round clash with Grigor Dimitrov
Fresh off his third career victory over Kyrgios, Khachanov will now look ahead to his last 32 match in Florida.
The Russian will take on 2024 Miami Open finalist Grigor Dimitrov, who dropped just five games in his opening match against Federico Cina.
The pair have faced off five times on the ATP Tour to date, with the Bulgarian coming out on top on four occasions.
- 2024 Paris Masters QF – Karen Khachanov beat Grigor Dimitrov, 6-2, 6-3
- 2024 Marseille SF – Grigor Dimitrov beat Karen Khachanov, 6-7, 6-4, 7-6
- 2023 Shanghai Masters 3R – Grigor Dimitrov beat Karen Khachanov, 7-6, 6-4
- 2021 Paris Masters 2R – Grigor Dimitrov beat Karen Khachanov, 4-6, 6-2, 6-0
- 2020 Vienna Open 1R – Grigor Dimitrov beat Karen Khachanov, 7-6, 6-3
Khachanov did, however, win their most recent meeting at the 2024 Paris Masters, dominating Dimitrov on his way to the semi-finals.
Khachanov will no doubt hope for more of the same when he plays Dimitrov for a place in the last 16 of the Miami Open on Sunday, March 23.
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