At-peace Nick Kyrgios demolishes Andrey Rublev to reach Miami Open third round

WATCH: Kyrgios played pitch-perfect tennis to bundle an in-form Rublev out of Miami in under an hour.

Nick Kyrgios shelved a disappointing BNP Paribas Open loss to Rafael Nadal in a major way at the Hard Rock Stadium, bringing back the good vibes to dismiss No. 5 seed Andrey Rublev, 6-3, 6-0 in 51 minutes flat on Friday.

“I didn’t think I played unbelievably; I think I just played the right way,” Kyrgios told the Tennis Channel Live Desk after the match. “Against Rublev, you know that he wants to try and dictate, have a lot of rhythm. I didn’t give him that today. I tried to slap as many winners as I could, serve well, try and get up the court on return and it worked.”

The two had an even head-to-head coming into their second-round encounter, with Rublev nabbing the most recent victory in 2019, and though the Russian got out to an early break to start, Kyrgios would lose just one more game, striking 20 winners and making 80% of his first serves to send the Indian Wells semifinalist off Stadium court in under an hour.

“Whether it’s Top 10, Top 20, or Top 1000, I don’t really care; I could lose to anyone on any given day or beat anyone. That’s been the story of my career,” Kyrgios joked straight off the court, later adding, “There’s going to come a time when he’s going to beat me, as well, and pretty easily. So, I’ll be prepared.”

So relaxed was Kyrgios that he attempted a 'tweener serve at triple match point—ultimately easing to victory shortly thereafter—and though the win did mark his 23rd victory over a Top 10 opponent, Kyrgios continues to employ a “No thoughts, just vibes” mantra to this latest chapter of an already unforgettable career.

“I ride the wins and the losses the same, honestly, even a performance as good as that, in perspective, in life. I’ve lost plenty of matches and won plenty of matches, so I’m obviously happy with my performance but I just can’t wait to get back home and have dinner with my girlfriend.”

Kyrgios took the tennis world through all his greatest hits in the California desert last week, confounding fans with brilliant winners and frustrating them with an outburst that could have injured a ballboy after his Nadal defeat—adding to the growing discourse around players behaving badly and making many question whether Kyrgios was still his own worst enemy.

The 26-year-old went big in his apology—gifting the ballboy a racquet the next day—and promptly reset in Miami with a straight-set victory over Adrian Mannarino to book the Rublev clash. While an angry moment could lead some to believe the Aussie still has his demons, Kyrgios insists he’s hit a new mental plateau.

“I’ve been dealing with a lot of stuff the last couple years, and I’m at peace,” he reflected. “I find myself happy; I don’t really worry about anything and I don’t stress much. I go out there two hours a day and just enjoy some tennis, really.”

Indeed, take out the racquet toss and Kyrgios, once tennis’ clown prince, has strung together his most serious run of results ever—highlighted not only by his quarterfinal finish at Indian Wells but also by his men’s doubles victory in Melbourne alongside Thanasi Kokkinakis.

“Earlier in my career, I partied til 4 a.m. every night and somehow still played all right,” he admitted in between teasing anchors Prakash Amritraj and Dani Klupenger. “Now, with age, I kind of just relax. I have a nice AirBnB, and I’ve been getting to sleep.”

If fireworks are still on the menu, they may come out against the similarly mercurial Fabio Fognini, who needed a third-set tiebreaker to dispatch Taro Daniel this afternoon. Kyrgios’ last match against the Italian came at this tournament in 2018—though at the former location, Crandon Park—where he won in straight sets.

“He’s a hell of a player,” said Kyrgios. “I’ve played him once before. I felt comfortable out there, but again, he’s a hell of a player, and we know what he’s capable of, as well, so I’m just going to go out there and have some fun.”

“Fun” can carry a broad definition when Fognini and Kyrgios are involved, but should the latter keep the good vibes going, the Miami Open could be in for a serious challenger.