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When a 19-year-old Nick Kyrgios stepped into the world sporting spotlight with a win over world No.1 Rafael Nadal on Centre Court at Wimbledon in 2014, it was clear he belonged on a big stage.

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Soon adding to that quarterfinal run with another at the Australian Open in 2015, Kyrgios showcased a big serve and flashy hitting with an even bolder personality that held a fascinating appeal.

If there were times when the spotlight burned too brightly for the young Australian, there were also many important lessons to absorb. Through some difficult losses and testing experiences, the 22-year-old has seemingly emerged with the composure to complement his sublime skill.

And with not an ounce of that big stage appeal lost. Kyrgios has arguably never shone as brightly in the eyes of the Australian public as he has this summer, with his first title claimed on home soil in Brisbane followed by a near-flawless campaign so far at Melbourne Park.

Straight-sets win over Rogerio Dutra Silva and Viktor Troicki on Hisense Arena were followed by a potentially career-defining one, as Kyrgios outclassed childhood idol Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in four superb-quality sets for his first victory at Rod Laver Arena.



Nick Kyrgios def. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga match highlights (3R)
Video 19 Jan 18

That he could manage both the pressure of an expectant home crowd and the nerves of Hollywood superstar – and another idol – in Will Smith watching from the edge of the court is a measure of the “new” Nick. “When I saw him [Smith] out here, I was so nervous,” he laughed. “I just wanted him to think I was cool.”

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This Australian Open is also about keeping cool in other ways for Kyrgios, who takes a level head into a tantalising fourth round match against Grigor Dimitrov. “It’s going to be tough … obviously he’s one of the best players in the world,” said Kyrgios, referencing the world No.3’s “unbelievable year” that culminated with his biggest career title at the elite ATP Finals.

“It’s best of five sets, I think that favours (Grigor) a lot,” he added. “He’s very comfortable, he’s a great athlete. He’s a good friend of mine as well. I’m sure we’ll both be looking forward to it.”

It’s perhaps not surprising that Kyrgios and Dimitrov would share a camaraderie, given the common ground they share.

Supremely gifted but at times struggling to match ability with expectations, the 26-year-old Dimitrov has kept a level head in his eighth Australian Open campaign. He withstood a surprising second-round test against American qualifier Mackenzie McDonald, eking out an 8-6 victory in the fifth set.



Grigor Dimitrov def. Mackenzie McDonald match highlights (2R)
Video 17 Jan 18

There was also a difficult third-round assignment against Andrey Rublev, in which the eight-time ATP titlist admitted he “had to find a way” to defeat the fast-rising Russian in four sets.

Dimitrov takes both confidence-boosting memories and potentially troubling ones into a fourth career meeting with Kyrgios. While he won over the Australian at Indian Wells in 2015 and in a first ATP Masters final last year in Cincinnati, the Bulgarian surrendered a first-set lead in the semifinals of Brisbane, where he was the defending champion.

Equally, the five-set semifinal battle with Nadal that many regarded as the best match of AO2017 is both a reminder of Dimitrov’s potential, and that he is yet to fully deliver on it.

Still, the sense that each man can each improve on the stunning ability they’ve shown so far is what makes their AO fourth round so intriguing. “I'm very excited to just play, to go out there and compete,” said Dimitrov. “I appreciate my wins now. To get to play another day, I mean, this itself should get you already in a different mind-set coming into whoever you got to play.”

Caroline Wozniacki, the No.2 seed in the woman’s draw, is similarly grateful that her Australian Open campaign goes on. Match points saved against Jana Fett in the second round, Wozniacki had seemingly turned a corner as she eased past Kiki Bertens in straight sets.

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“It was definitely a little bit easier today than it was the other day. I'm going to take it and move forward,” said the Dane, who now faces Magdalena Rybarikova for a quarterfinal place.



Caroline Wozniacki def. Kiki Bertens match highlights (3R)
Video 19 Jan 18

Boasting a 3-1 head-to-head record against the 19th-seed from Slovakia, Wozniacki also competes with the knowledge that her former world No.1 ranking is again within reach.

Audiences can expect commanding performances from these big stage stars. Having warmed up superbly, there are even bigger main acts ahead.

1. Madison Keys is crushing it
In an increasingly wide-open women’s draw, is Madison Keys the player we should be focusing on as a prime title contender?

Perhaps we should have known that from the beginning of the season. Keys was impressive in a first-round loss to Jo Konta in Brisbane, the defeat perhaps obscuring the fact she’d attained an extremely high level despite her struggles with a wrist injury shortly after her run to the US Open final.

At Melbourne Park this week, the No.17 seed has been in imperious form, not dropping a set en route to the fourth round, where she’ll meet No.8 seed Caroline Garcia. She followed up her brutal 6-0 6-1 demolition of Ekaterina Alexandrova with a 6-3 6-4 win over Romania’s Ana Bogdan on Saturday.

She’s progressed through the draw away from the main stage of Rod Laver Arena, something she’s perfectly content with after featuring prominently in the glare of Arthur Ashe Stadium’s lights at Flushing Meadows last year.

“I am always happy if I'm not the drama, and I feel like US Open I was the drama every night match that I played,” she smiled. “So it's a good position for me to be in, and I'm enjoying it.

“I definitely feel way more comfortable than a couple of years ago in this position, but it also still feels like new and exciting. It's what we all work for. So a mix of comfortable but also very excited.”

In a tournament where the majority of American players have wilted, Keys is shaping as a shining light for the stars and stripes.

2. Simona Halep’s got fighting spirit
Some of the more notable matches Simona Halep has featured in throughout her career have ended in heartbreak. Yet on Saturday at Rod Laver Arena, she flipped the script.

Playing on a dodgy ankle against an unseeded underdog, Halep gritted her way to a stunning 4-6 6-4 15-13 victory over Lauren Davis in what has been, so far and without question, the match of the tournament.

The last two times she visited Melbourne, the Romanian crashed out in the first round. And for this campaign, as the No.1 seed for the first time at a Grand Slam, she was determined to avoid a hat-trick. “I was actually stressed a little bit because two years in a row I lost first round, so I didn't want to do the third one,” she smiled after subduing Destanee Aiava in her opening match.

That was the match during which she injured her ankle, yet she was able to move well enough as she thoroughly outclassed Eugenie Bouchard in round two.

But her third-round match against Davis required a whole different dimension of mental fortitude.

“It was not easy, but I just kept playing. I just kept believing that it's not over, even if she's leading a little bit more. I gave everything I had today, and actually, I'm really proud that I could stay there and win it,” said Halep, who saved three match points from 0-40 before holding serve to make the score 11-11 in the third.

“I think in the past I wouldn't have fought that hard. Maybe when she had the match balls, maybe I would have lost it.”

The ankle still hurts – “It's sore. I felt the pain. It's not recovered,” Halep admitted – but she’s still alive. And fourth-round debutant Naomi Osaka is next.

3. The next generation has arrived – and it’s exciting
Speaking of Osaka, she featured in one of the more anticipated matches of the day when she took on Ash Barty at Margaret Court Arena. At the same time, Alexander Zverev and Hyeon Chung were battling it out at Rod Laver Arena.

All four are aged 21 and under. And in a twist, the lower-ranked player won both encounters.

Osaka was unplayable during her 6-4 6-2 domination of 18th seed Barty – setting up a blockbuster encounter with world No.1 Halep – while Chung displayed rock-solid resilience, outlasting the far-more-fancied Zverev, the fourth seed, 5-7 7-6(3) 2-6 6-3 6-0.

Both Osaka and Chung are through to the fourth round at a Grand Slam event for the first time; Chung made history by becoming the first Korean player to reach this stage at the Australian Open.

4. Tomas Berdych is rounding into form
Mary Carillo’s “big babe tennis” label doesn’t really have a male equivalent in the sport. What happens when two powerful men go toe-to-toe from the baseline? “Big bloke tennis”?

Whatever someone decides to call it, that was the scenario that awaited fans for the last match of Saturday’s schedule between Juan Martin del Potro and Tomas Berdych at Hisense Arena.

Yet surprisingly, the winners mainly flowed from just one end of the court. That was Berdych’s; the Czech was in imperious form, belting 52 winners to del Potro’s 26 and keeping his own unforced error count to 28. He also advanced forward 33 times – his swinging volleys were devastating – and won almost 80 per cent of those points.

The result? Berdych dropped just eight games against the No.12 seed to take his place in the fourth round at Melbourne Park for a 10th time. And he's looking as fit, focused and intense as ever.

5. Federer loves playing Gasquet
It was a case of different match, different year – and same result.

Roger Federer came into his third-round match against Richard Gasquet having won 21 straight sets against the Frenchman, and after his 6-2 7-5 6-4 victory on Saturday night he extended that streak to 24, as well as improving the head-to-head series to 17-2 in his favour.

Federer seals a spot in the fourth round without dropping a set, and next takes on Martin Fucsovics, who’s appearing at this stage of a Grand Slam event for the first time in his Australian Open debut.