Perricard, 21, cuts short Kyrgios’ return to action

brisbane: If Nick Kyrgios was attempting to prove his match fitness after 18 months off the tour due to wrist and knee injuries, he did a good job on Tuesday, albeit in a losing cause at the Brisbane International.

In a match that lasted 2 hours, 27 minutes at Pat Rafter Arena, 21-year-old Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard of France beat the 29-year-old Australian in three tiebreak sets — 7-6(2) 6-7(4) 7-6(3).

The hard-serving French player rose to No. 31 from outside the top 200 this year.

Mpetshi Perricard served 36 aces to Kyrgios’s 15, regularly topping 220 kph with ease and backing himself with huge second serves. There were no service breaks in the match.

“Surely you understand my frustration,” Kyrgios told the chair umpire Christian Rask, who had quietly warned him to watch his language after missing a rare chance to break

in the second set.

Later, Novak Djokovic, who beat Kyrgios in the 2022 Wimbledon final, beat Australian wildcard entry Rinky Hijikata 6-3 6-3.