DUBAI OPEN
afp
dubai
Nick Kyrgios overcame back pain which required on-court treatment as he beat Tomas Berdych for a second week in a row, posting a 6-4, 6-4 victory to reach the semi-finals of the Dubai Tennis Championships on Thursday.
The Australian followed up on his semi-final win over the Czech third seed from last week in Marseille, where Kyrgios claimed the first ATP title of his career.
The 20-year-old, ranked 33rd, won his eighth consecutive match and will wait for an opponent as second seed Stan Wawrinka and German Philipp Kohlschreiber clash later.
Top seed Novak Djokovic was facing Spain's Feliciano Lopez as the Serb returns to action a day after clocking the 700th victory of his career.
Kyrgios brought out the physio after the fifth game of his opening set against Berdych. The Australian, who was injured during Melbourne in January, has been going flat-out since returning last week.
He will be tested physically with a Davis Cup tie next weekend in Melbourne against the United States.
Berdych, a two-time Dubai finalist, had reached the semi-finals at the Aviation Club in four of the last five years.
The last loss for Kyrgios came against Berdych in the Australian Open third round.
"I was in pain at the start, I've played a lot of matches in a row now," Kyrgios said. "Tomas is a tough player, one of the best in the world.
"I knew I had to serve well, I'm glad to get through that one.
"The court here plays really fast, if you get the first strike in and get on top of the points, it helps.
"I did that well today, I served well and competed well. I'm very, very happy.
"I'll do what I can to be ready for the semis."
Kyrgios took 41 minutes to win the first set but dominated in the second, losing only three points on serve as he rolled to the win, finishing with a tenth ace.
