Melbourne: Top seed Andy Murray sped into the Australian Open third round on Wednesday but bad boy Nick Kyrgios was booed and accused of not trying as he crashed to a stormy defeat.
Roger Federer progressed despite unexpected resistance and women`s world number one Angelique Kerber celebrated her 29th birthday with a hard-fought win.
Murray painfully rolled an ankle and needed treatment in the third set against Russian qualifier Andrey Rublev, but he shook off the problem to win 6-3, 6-0, 6-2.
While the world number one cruised, Kyrgios stood accused of tanking, or giving up, during his 1-6, 6-7 (1/7), 6-4, 6-2, 10-8 loss to Andreas Seppi.
Kyrgios, who is returning from a ban for “lack of best efforts” in a match in Shanghai, played lethargically and casually, especially in the fifth set.
“Obviously it`s not the greatest thing to hear,” he said of the booing. “I didn`t have the best preparation coming into the Australian Open. Pretty banged up, my body.”
“I don`t even know what the score was in the end. Was it 10-8? 10-8 in the fifth, getting booed off, definitely not the best feeling.”
Tennis legend John McEnroe said Kyrgios`s lack of effort was a “black eye for the sport”. Kyrgios explained that “my body was sore. I was hurting.
“I mean, John McEnroe. Good on him. Great career. Good on him.”
Asked how he could have been better prepared, Kyrgios, who hurt his knee playing basketball, said: “I don`t know, maybe just not play as much basketball. Actually take my pre-season seriously.”
Earlier Federer was made to work by 200th-ranked Noah Rubin for a 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (7/3) win that set up a third-round assignment against his old rival Tomas Berdych.
“I know what he`s got. I don`t need to tell you where he`s beaten me,” Federer said of Berdych. “Then again I`ve played him here, played him on many occasions, as well, when it went my way.” Federer wasn`t the only leading player challenged in the second round as Kerber, the women`s defending champion, dropped a set against world number 89 Carina Witthoeft.
Kerber won 6-2, 6-7 (3/7), 6-2 before being treated to a rendition of “Happy Birthday” by the Rod Laver Arena crowd.
“I was doing I think a lot of mistakes in the important moments. But at the end, I`m happy that I won the match,” said the world number one.
In the men`s draw, Japanese fifth seed Kei Nishikori marched into the third round alongside former finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, with both winning in straight sets.
Nishikori was extended to five sets in his first-round win over Andrey Kuznetsov, but he found the going a little easier in his 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 victory against Jeremy Chardy.
Nishikori, who believes he is due a first major win this year, next plays Lukas Lacko, with Berdych or Federer waiting in the fourth round.
France`s Tsonga, who is seeded 12th and was runner-up to Novak Djokovic in 2008, beat Serbia`s Dusan Lajovic 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 to go through.
Stan Wawrinka, the 2014 winner, recovered from his tetchy five-setter with Martin Klizan to beat Steve Johnson 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.
In the women`s draw, 36-year-old Venus Williams continued her smooth progress when she beat qualifier Stefanie Voegele 6-3, 6-2 to set up a meeting with China`s Duan Yingying.
Williams, the oldest player in the women`s draw, pulled out of the doubles competition with her sister Serena as a precaution to rest a sore elbow.
Russia`s Svetlana Kuznetsova thrashed Australian wildcard Jaimee Fourlis 6-2, 6-1 to set up a third-round clash with 31-year-old Serb Jelena Jankovic.
And Britain`s Dan Evans claimed the highest-ranked scalp of his career when he stunned former US Open champion Marin Cilic, the world number seven.
Source: Zee News