"Not my preferred surface" - Kyrgios after win in Houston

Nick Kyrgios carried his red-hot form from the American hard courts onto the red clay in Houston with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over Mackenzie McDonald on Tuesday.

Playing his unique brand of attacking and entertaining tennis, Kyrgios took some time to find his footing in what was his first clay appearance since Rome in 2019. He said after the match:

"Clay is obviously not my preferred surface, but I just served really well and started playing more aggressive and just found another gear. I did slip and slide a little bit, but my game actually suits the clay quite well. It's a great atmosphere out here and the crowd's pretty involved, so I'm looking forward to continuing to progress through the event."

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On his opponent McDonald Kyrgios said:

"[Mackenzie] is an amazing player. He's a tricky one because he doesn't make too many errors." McDonald won their previous match in straight sets last year in Washington so Kyrgios was motivated to win this one.