Nick Kyrgios defeats Cameron Norrie in last-minute exhibition match in Mexico

Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios overpowered Britain's Cameron Norrie 6-4 6-4, in an exhibition match in Mexico that seemed unlikely to take place.

The event, called Tennis Showdown and played in Mexico City , had to be postponed twice. The initial date was going to be in September 2021 and it was going to have as its main match an encounter between Austrian Dominic Thiem and Russian Andrey Rublev.

Unfortunately, Thiem had to withdraw due to injury and was replaced by Russian Daniil Medvedev, with a new date set  for March 2022. However the Russian invasion of Ukraine forced this duel to be rescheduled for 2023. As a result, Kyrgios' original opponent seemed be Frenchman Gael Monfils, who suffered an injury, for which he was replaced by Norrie at the last minute.

Kyrgios was able to dominate despite the altitude of Mexico City, which is about 2,200 meters above sea level, against a Briton who struggled to control the force of his serves. The Aussie remained sharp in the second set, and after breaking Norrie's serve once more, he cruised to a 6-4 6-4 victory to close out the friendly match.

"Hello Mexico, this was a great event and a great few days. I hope to see you next year, hopefully at the Mexican Tennis Open in Acapulco," said Kyrgios after the match.