Nick Kyrgios played a pretty decent event in Houston on clay, losing out to eventual champion Reilly Opelka in a match that featured yet another spat with an umpire.
It was his first clay event since 2019 and reaching a semifinal was a pretty decent result. It's also the last event he will play in a while as he will take some time off returning when the Tour shifts to the grass tour in Summer. He will enjoy his off time in Australia where he is most happy.
Kyrgios showed no signs of rustiness on the red dirt as he produced an aggressive opening-round display to defeat Mackenzie McDonald for the first time, with the former World No. 13 also taking out Tommy Paul before falling to eventual champion Reilly Opelka.
All of that was enough to jump 17 spots on the rankings becoming the world number 77 in the process.