Photo Source: TTV
Nick Kyrgios powered past Mackenzie McDonald to earn his first ATP win in nearly three years on Wednesday at the Miami Open.
The 29-year-old World No.892 showed vintage form at times as he delivered a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over the Piedmont, California native.
It was a special win for Kyrgios, who had lost all three of his matches since returning to tennis earlier this year.
“The last six months haven’t been great, but I guess having one win against him, I had something to draw from,” said Kyrgios, who will face Karen Khachanov in the second round in Miami. “He’s such a good player, he’s so tricky. He definitely caught me off guard, I walked on the court and I wasn’t used to that ball speed.”
Two-time Miami semifinalist Kyrgios had not won a match since 2022 at Tokyo. In the interim he suffered a knee injury and a wrist injury, the latter threatening to end his career. “It’s been a long journey. To come off and get a win and feel like I belong again, it’s pretty special,” Kyrgios said. “I didn’t know if I’d ever play tennis again, to be brutally honest with you. This puts a bit more petrol in the tank. We’ll see how my wrist holds up tomorrow – it is a grind out here.”
Kyrgios fired 13 aces and won 45 of 58 first serve points as he took control of the match in the second and third sets. He broke serve three times and got off court in one hour and 43 minutes.
“I feel like I’ve been returning a little bit better every time I play, just being back on the court against these world-class players,” Kyrgios said. “[The serve] was key for me today, he’s such a good returner."