Kyrgios will play
Casper Ruud in the next round for only the second time in his career which could reignite an old feud between the pair.
Kyrgios was disqualified after throwing a chair onto the court at the 2019 Italian Open during the third and deciding set of a second-round match against the Norwegian. Kyrgios posted an Instagram apology a few hours later stating his emotions got the better of him, but he and Ruud subsequently traded insults on social media.
Ruud suggested afterwards that Kyrgios deserved to be banned for six months and called the Australian “an idiot” in an interview. Kyrgios responded on Twitter: “I would appreciate you saying it to my face, I’m sure you wouldn’t run your mouth so much after that. Until then I will continue to rather watch paint dry than watch you play tennis, boring af.”
He further wrote:
"But again, I also understand why you have to keep my name in your mouth, because people dont even realise that you play tennis - good luck in Milan champ x"
Kyrgios later accused Ruud of “stealing points” by winning “easy” tournaments on clay after he won back-to-back ATP 250 tournaments in Geneva, Bastad, Gstaad, and Kitzbuhel. It will be interesting how the players behave in this match.