The unseeded 27-year-old lost the opening nine points on Court One, but ultimately had too much firepower for Garin, who was hoping to become Chile’s first Wimbledon semifinalist.
1st Grand Slam Semifinal @NickKyrgios beat Christian Garin 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(5)#Wimbledon https://t.co/irn1vbb7DP
— Wimbledon (@wimbledon) 1657125879000
Kyrgios became the first Australian man to reach a Grand Slam semi-final in 17 years, surpassing his previous best Wimbledon run in the quarter-finals eight years ago.
On the eve of the match, Kyrgios was called to appear in Canberra Court the following month on charges of alleged assault, which was hardly ideal preparation for one of his biggest matches.
Nick Kyrgios, Wimbledon semifinalist. #Wimbledon https://t.co/Bn2PfvQR6x
— Wimbledon (@wimbledon) 1657125588000
But any off-court distraction he managed to put aside in the relatively low-volume display, occasionally sprinkled with effortless shot-making, is what makes him such a draw.
As in his five-set victory over American Brandon Nakashima in the previous round, Kyrgios kept his volatile nature under wraps, although he regularly lashed out at his large squad as the match dragged on.
His serve once again strengthened his game, getting him out of trouble whenever Garin threatened to pull himself back in a contest that went away from him after his quick start.
Garin, who had defeated Kyrgios’s compatriot Alex de Minaur by two sets in the previous round, worked hard to extend the third set into a tiebreaker and took a 5-3 lead before Kyrgios won the last four points.
One of tennis’s great mysteries will now be faced Rafa Nadali either taylor fritz in the semi-finals.
“A wonderful atmosphere again,” Kyrgios said. “I never thought I’d reach the semi-finals of a Grand Slam. I thought the ship was sailing – that I ruined that window in my career.
“I am really happy that I was able to come here with my team and do well.”