Men’s Final: [1] Rafael Nadal (ESP) vs. [19] Nick Kyrgios (AUS)
Nadal knows that Kyrgios is a dangerous opponent on any surface; however, on the fast courts he is lethal much to the dismay of the “king of clay”. The match started off with both players getting the opportunity to break their opponent; however, neither could convert. If Nadal wanted to avenge his recent loss to the Australian, he would have to hold his serve and then try to capitalize on the break point opportunities he got. He squandered five break point opportunities in Kyrgios’ first service game; however, Nadal has learned to shrug off disappointment much more easily than most players and he quickly put it behind him and maintained his equilibrium.
The problem with Kyrgios is that while he is no doubt a talented player, he is also prone to negative emotions, which becomes destructive. After failing to break Nadal on an erroneous line call, which should have given him the break lead, he decompensated emotionally. He had a protracted argument with the umpire during the changeover and you sensed he was on the brink of folding. Yet, Kyrgios remains a volatile enigma, spewing vulgarity one minute followed by brilliant play. As the match progressed it was no longer a matter of if but rather when would the Australian finally lose it mentally.
He was given a point penalty at the start of the eighth game for his unsportsmanlike behavior and that seemed to aggravate the already volatile Australian even further. He double faulted twice to lose his serve and the set. The second set was a combination of Nadal playing well and Kyrgios no longer fully engaged; thus, it was inevitable that the Spaniard would get some revenge for his earlier loss to the Australian this season. Nadal won 6-2, 6-1 and claimed his second Beijing title as well as his 75th career title.
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