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'Pay your bills': Fans roast Aus Open failure in Nick Kyrgios showdown

chris young

Nick Kyrgios’ first round match against Lorenzo Sonego was brought to a grinding halt when the lights at Melbourne Arena went out mid-way through the second set.

The courts looked more like a concert venue for a few minutes as fans took their phones out and waved them around in the semi-darkness as both players waited for the lights to be turned back on.

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There didn’t seem to be a major issue with the modern LED lighting, which was switched back on in a matter of minutes.

It did come as an interruption for Kyrgios, who was forced to take a seat on his serve at 3-4 in the second set.

Earlier, Kyrgios had secured a double-break in the first set against Sonego thanks to several terrific returns against the big serving Italian.

Fans were quick to jump online to mock the mixup, with many suggesting those in charge at Melbourne Arena ought to make sure their bills were up to date.

Kyrgios leads strong day for Aussies

Kyrgios got off to a promising start in his first round match, aiming to replicate the success of countrymen John Millman, Alex Popyrin and Jordan Thompson, who all won through to the second round earlier on Tuesday.

Millman won 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 1-6 7-5, withFrenchman Ugo Humbert losing his nerve in the final game on Tuesday, serving two consecutive double faults to close out the match.

Wildcard entrant Marc Polmans had to work much harder before edging past Mikhail Kukushkin 6-4 6-3 4-6 6-7 (8-10) 6-4 in a marathon encounter lasting four hours and 17 minutes.

Nick Kyrgios pictured at Melbourne Park, sat back after the lights went out in the stadium.
Nick Kyrgios sits in his chair as the lights in the stadium turned off during his first round match against Lorenzo Sonego at the Australian Open. (Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)

It was a gutsy display from the 22-year-old Polmans who had to regroup following the disappointment of blowing three match points in the fourth-set tiebreak.

Earlier on Tuesday, rising Italian star Jannik Sinner ended the campaign of local hope Max Purcell.

Sinner was on the brink of victory, leading by two sets to love, when heavy rain interrupted their first-round clash on Monday afternoon.

When play resumed under clear skies on Tuesday, the Italian needed only a few more minutes to close out the 7-6 (7-2) 6-2 6-4 win against Purcell, who had advanced to the Melbourne Park main draw through qualifying.

Sinner defeated Australian Alex de Minaur in the final of last year's Next Gen championships in Milan.

WITH AAP