An emotional Nick Kyrgios has spoken of his struggles to rediscover his best form after ending a three-year title drought with victory in the Citi Open final in Washington. The Australian took just 81 minutes to defeat Japanese giant killer Yoshihito Nishioka 6-4 6-3 in Sunday’s final to claim his first ATP Tour title since winning at the same event in 2019.
The 27-year-old backed up his victory by claiming the doubles title alongside American Jack Sock, his third doubles success of the year. Shortly after lifting the men’s singles trophy, Kyrgios combined with Sock to defeat Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek 7-5, 6-4.
The sensational week in the US capital continues a career-best year for Kyrgios after reaching his first Grand Slam final at Wimbledon, where he lost to Novak Djokovic.
Despite not gaining any ranking points at Wimbledon due to the ATP’s objection to the ban on Russian and Belarusian players, Kyrgios’ victory in Washington lifts him to 37th in the world rankings. Ahead of the big events in Montreal and Cincinnati, it means Kyrgios is closing in on an all-important qualifier for the US Open which starts on August 29 in New York.
“To see where he was last year to now, it’s an incredible transformation,” Kyrgios said in a post-match interview. “I just came out with a lot of energy. I knew I had experience on my side today. I love this track, I’ve played a lot of good matches here, so I’m really happy with myself.
“I’ve been in very dark places. Just to be able to turn around… there are so many people who have helped me get there, but I’ve shown a strong strength myself to carry on and persevere and overcome all these moments and be able keep performing. and win tournaments like this.”
Kyrgios’ serve was imperious throughout the tournament, going 64 tournament games without being broken once. The 27-year-old hit 12 aces in Sunday’s final against Nishioka, and also hit 32 winners in a confident display to secure his seventh career title.
Having won the doubles title in Atlanta last week with fellow Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis, Kyrgios partnered Sock in a two-set win over Dodig and Krajicek. As in their singles win, Kyrgios and Sock held serve throughout the final, winning 95% of their first-serve points in the 79-minute victory.