Nick Kyrgios wins first tennis match since 2022 at Miami Open

Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios gained his first win on the ATP Tour in 896 days at the Miami Open on Thursday morning (AEDT), defeating America’s Mackenzie McDonald in three sets.

Kyrgios, who has struggled with injuries to his leg, wrist and abdominal muscles over the past two-and-a-half years, made his return to professional tennis at the start of the 2025 season.

First-round losses in Brisbane, Melbourne and Indian Wells meant he entered his clash against McDonald in Florida as a $3 underdog across tennis betting sites.

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He looked to be on track for another loss when 15 unforced errors caused him to lose the opening set in 27 minutes.

However, the former world No.13 managed to rein in his play, making only 16 further errors over the next two sets and landing close to 80% of his first serves.

That, along with aggressive returning, proved to be the difference as he closed out his first victory since the Tokyo Open in October 2022, prevailing 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

“He’s such a good player, he’s so tricky,” Kyrgios said afterwards.

“It caught me off guard, I walked on the court and I wasn’t used to that ball speed.

“It’s been a long road, even to get to the start line.

“To come off and get a win, to feel like I belong again, it’s pretty special.

“I thought I’d never play tennis again, to be brutally honest with you. It was going that way.

“I’ve had conversations with my team, you know, guys who are leaving their families behind to try and get me on the court, and I was like, ‘I don’t know how long I can keep doing this for’.

“But obviously this puts a bit more petrol in the tank.

“I need to be realistic, I’ll see how my wrist pulls up tomorrow because it is a grind out here.”

Kyrgios will step on court as a significant underdog again when he takes on No.22 seed Karen Khachanov in the second round on Saturday, with BetOnline pricing him at $3 to win.

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