However, Kyrgios is too focused on his singles career. He edged past 16th seed Filip Krajinovic 6-2, 6-3, 6-1 despite not being seeded. Now Kyrgios feels he has what it takes to go all the way but needs to remain diligent in his preparation and recovery. “I am a singles player: my priority has always been singles. I’ve made quarter-finals here before, I’ve won singles titles,” he said. “I played almost four hours on my first round. Me personally, it was just too much time on the court. Today I caught that. But I want to make my singles my priority. I do what is best for my body. »

With his powerful display on the court that saw Kyrgios play compound tennis, wrap up the first set in just 26 minutes and earn his first 21 points on serve, many see big things ahead of Kyrgios. Australian doubles legend and commentator Todd Woodbridge said he believes Kyrgios can qualify for the semi-finals and beyond.

“This is the year when opportunity awaits us,” Woodbridge said. “He’s sitting in the bottom half of the table with Rafael Nadal and he’s already beaten him here.”

Although that remains to be seen, for Kyrgios his performance on the pitch was just a reflection of the confidence and skill he has always known. “I just wanted to remind everyone that I’m pretty good,” he said with a straight face during his on-court interview. “I couldn’t have played better.”