Tennis: Mallorca Open Nick Kyrgios dominates tie-breaks in a comeback win

It was a tough match for both the players as all three sets ended with a tie-break. Nick Kyrgios saved seven of the eight break points he faced and fired 24 aces but still struggled against his Serbian opponent, who won the first set 5-7. However, the 27-year-old Australian pulled off a remarkable reversal and dominated the final two tie-breaks, getting a quick 3/0 lead in the second and a 5/0 lead in the third set.

Nick Kyrgios did not drop a breakpoint in the third set and won 23 of the final 24 points on his serve to secure a second-round spot despite the strong serving performance by Laslo Dere. The victory was a reversal of his defeat against Hubert Hurkacz of Poland in the Halle Open in a match where the Australian last the final two tie-breaks.

After the victory, Nick Kyrgios said, "I've played good tie-breaks in my career. I know that I've got a good chance if I'm serving well. He was serving well today, and he played the big points well. I'm just happy to win. Laslo is a tough competitor. We grew up together in juniors, so I knew he was capable of playing some good tennis. I'm proud of myself for that.

Nick Kyrgios aims to improve his semifinal runs on the grass courts in Halle and Stuttgart ahead of the Wimbledon. He will next face fifth-seed Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain in the second round of the Mallorca Open on June 22.

In the other matches of the event, eighth seed Sebastian Baez of Argentina won a straight-set victory 6-3, 6-4 against Jordan Thompson of Australia, while Marcos Giron defeated sixth-seed Botic van de Zandschulp 7-6(6), 6-4, 7-6(2) to book a second-round spot in Mallorca