Nick Kyrgios comes from a set down to beat world No. 1 Daniil Medvedev in Canadian Open thriller

Nick Kyrgios’s superb summer continues apace as the Australian delivered another nerveless performance on the biggest stage to beat world No. 1 Daniil Medvedev at the Canadian Open.

The question now will be whether he can top all that by winning the US Open, which begins in New York later this month.

As one might have expected in a meeting between Kyrgios and Medvedev, the serve dominated from the outset at the IGA Stadium with games speeding by as neither was able to put many balls in play on the return.

Until 4-5 that was, when Kyrgios had two break – and set – points on the Medvedev serve, in by far the longest game of the match encompassing five deuces.

The world No. 1 eventually pulled through, and two holds thereafter took it into a tie-break, which was probably about right on the balance of play.

Kyrgios, so unruffled thoughout the majority of the set, was suddenly chuntering to himself and was also grimacing while stretching out his back, in a possible sign of a lingering injury.

Medvedev showed no mercy to move 6-1 ahead, at which point Kyrgios slammed a ball out of the stadium, incurring a code violation.

He clawed back the ensuing point but dumped a volley in the net on the next to give Medvedev the opener.

The crowd might have wondered which Kyrgios they would see at the start of the second – and it turned out to be a reinvigorated version, as the Australian broke Medvedev in the first game, thanks chiefly to a brilliant forehand pass.

A hold followed to give him a headstart in the set, and he consolidated that lead to stride out to 4-2 in front.

Kyrgios’ mix of serve-volleying, underarm serves and drop shots were confounding Medvedev, with the Russian’s furrowed brow by now a regular feature.

And the world No. 1 was unable to locate the answers he needed in the closing games of the set, as Kyrgios brought up two set points at 5-4 – and took it on his second.

To a decider it went, and Kyrgios was finding a level perhaps even he didn’t know he had, matching Medvedev in long baseline rallies whilst also mounting a number of successful forays to the net.

And at 2-2 he made his move, breaking his 26-year-old adversary – and then backing it up with a convincing hold to love.

One break then became two as the errors began to fly off the Medvedev racket, and Kyrgios served it out – again to love – to take one of the finest wins of his career, and his second against a world No. 1.