Nick Kyrgios digs deep to progress to Australian Open third round

Limping, gallant and feeding off the supportive energy of a partisan crowd, Nick Kyrgios survived two match points and five sets of electric tennis to advance to the third round of the Australian Open.

The Australian beat France’s 29th-seed Ugo Humbert 5-7, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6, 6-4 on a hot and humid night at John Cain Arena.

It was not quite an epic, and certainly not a classic but, as is always the case with Kyrgios, it was pure entertainment from start to finish — three-and-a-half hours of sparkling tennis and as much grinning as cursing.

Down a break in the fourth set, Kyrgios looked a beaten man but he drew something from within himself to force a successful tiebreak and then galloped home in the decider.

More to come.