An emotional Nick Kyrgios has spoken of his struggles to discover 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 then backed up his win 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 American capital continues a career-best year for Kyrgios after reaching his first career grand slam final at Wimbledon, where he lost Novak Djokovic.
Despite not earning any rankings points at Wimbledon due to the ATP’s objection to a ban on Russian and Belarusian players, Kyrgios’s win in Washington lifts him to 37th on the world rankings. Ahead of big events in Montreal and Cincinnati, it means Kyrgios is closing in on an all-important seeding for the US Open starting on 29 August in New York.
“To see where I was at last year to now, it’s just an incredible transformation,” Kyrgios said in a post-match interview. “I just came out with great energy. I knew that I had experience on my side today. I love this court, I’ve played so many good matches here, so I’m just really happy with myself.
“I’ve been in some really dark places. Just to be able to turn it around … there are so many people who have helped me get there, but myself, I’ve shown some serious strength to just continue and persevere and get through all those times and be able to still perform and win tournaments like this one.”
Kyrgios’s serve was imperious throughout the tournament, getting through 64 matches in the tournament without being broken once. The 27-year-old fired down 12 aces in Sunday’s final against Nishioka, also hitting 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 then went back-to-back partnering Sock in a straight-sets win over Dodig and Krajicek. As in his singles win, Kyrgios and Sock held serve throughout the final, winning 95 per cent of points on their first serve in the 79-minute victory.