The passage to the second round of the ATP 250 in Brisbane, Australia, is guaranteed, but Nick Kyrgios needed to work hard to throw back his knee pain and to pass compatriot Matthew Ebden, who did to undo the 55 positions of the ranking that separate them as soon as they stepped on the court.
After two tie breaks, one on each side, Kyrgios, 21st, put an end to the matter, imposing 6-7 (3), 7-6 (5) and 6-2. In a meeting that ended after two hours and 12 minutes of play, Kyrgios did not suffer any service break, but did not get rid of a knee care.
"I did not have any problems before the tournament," he began by saying the number one Australian during the court interview. "The knee problem has appeared in the last two days, I hope it's nothing serious," he added.
Kyrgios, who plays the third seed who has not played since October, has a meeting with Alexandr Dolgopolov, number 38 in the ATP world ranking.