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New York - Nick Kyrgios went down swinging at the US Open, losing for the fourth time to Andy Murray before jousting with the media over his 'bad boy' reputation which he lambasted as "ridiculous."
The 20-year-old Australian arrived in New York under the cloud of a possible suspension following his infamous sex slur at Stan Wawrinka in Montreal which brought widespread condemnation.
On court on Tuesday, Kyrgios was fuming at fans moving between points as early as the fourth game, managed to let his racquet slip from his hand as he lined up a forehand, claimed the floodlights were affecting his serve before he finally picked up a warning for offensive language.
For good effect, he even appeared to doze off during the changeover after the first set in his 7-5, 6-3, 4-6, 6-1 loss to the 2012 champion.
Once again, his post-match press conference was dominated by the Wawrinka affair despite him already claiming to have apologised to the French Open champion.
"I'd like to think that I'm going to learn from it. I think I have. I think I'm on the right path," he insisted.
"I don't think any of us in this room right now were perfect at 20. Speak up if you were."
After a brief pause, he added: "Thought so."
Kyrgios was in no mood to be conciliatory to the gathered international media, many of whom he views as his chief tormentors.
He leapt to the defence of his fellow young Australians - Bernard Tomic, who has his own impressive rap-sheet, and Thanasi Kokkinakis, the man caught up in the Montreal affair.
Kyrgios had taunted Wawrinka that Kokkinakis had slept with his girlfriend.
"Bernard, he's harmless. He's just a normal kid. I don't really understand where he gets this reputation from, or where I get it from at all," pleaded Kyrgios.
"We show emotion out there. We might not be the most usual tennis players you see. Somehow we got this reputation that's just ridiculous."
Kyrgios was warming to his task now.
On his decision to wear a compression sleeve on one arm: "I just wear it because I like it. It's not against the rules."
What has he learned from his recent trials?
"Keep your mouth shut at times."
And that incident when he appeared to nod off after the first set?
"Just taking a nap, I guess. It's good for you."
Murray has been a long-time defender of Kyrgios and has asked for the Australian to be cut some slack.
The Scot admitted that he finds some of Kyrgios's antics amusing.
"All the matches we have played, there have been a couple points where I have laughed on the court or smiled because some of the stuff is funny," said the third seed.
"I mean, when he let go of the racquet today after the forehand, I mean, that only happens to him. Went into the crowd. I mean, yeah, that's funny when you're playing against him."
US Open results on Tuesday, the second day of the 2015 tournament at Flushing Meadows (x denotes seeded player):
Men
First round
Stan Wawrinka (SUI x5) bt Albert Ramos (ESP) 7-5, 6-4, 7-6 (8/6)
Hyeon Chung (KOR) bt James Duckworth (AUS) 6-3, 6-1, 6-2
Ruben Bemelmans (BEL) bt Gilles Muller (LUX) 6-4, 1-6, 6-4, 6-4
Jack Sock (USA x28) bt Vctor Estrella (DOM) 6-2, 6-3, 6-2
Viktor Troicki (SRB x22) bt Francis Tiafoe (USA) 7-5, 6-4, 6-3
Rajeev Ram (USA) bt Ryan Harrison (USA) 7-6 (7/3), 6-4, 6-1
Aljaz Bedene (GBR) bt Ernests Gulbis (LAT) 3-6, 6-4, 3-0 - retired
Donald Young (USA) bt Gilles Simon (FRA x11) 2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4
Kevin Anderson (RSA x15) bt Andrey Rublev (RUS) 7-6 (7/1), 6-7 (5/7), 7-5, 6-3
Austin Krajicek (USA) bt Santiago Giraldo (COL) 3-6, 7-6 (8/6), 7-6 (8/6), 7-6 (7/1)
Denis Istomin (UZB) bt Benjamin Becker (GER) 6-7 (9/11), 6-4, 6-4, 6-1
Dominic Thiem (AUT x20) bt Daniel Gimeno (ESP) 7-5, 6-3, 7-5
Thomaz Belluci (BRA x30) bt James Ward (GBR) 6-1, 7-5, 6-3
Yoshihito Nishioka (JPN) bt Paul-Henri Mathieu (FRA) 6-4, 2-6, 6-7 (7/9), 6-1, 6-2
Adrian Mannarino (FRA) bt Konstantin Kravchuk (RUS) 7-6 (8/6), 6-4, 6-1
Andy Murray (GBR x3) bt Nick Kyrgios (AUS) 7-5, 6-3, 4-6, 6-1
Tomas Berdych (CZE x6) bt Bjorn Fratangelo (USA) 6-3, 6-2, 6-4
Jurgen Melzer (AUT) bt Denis Kudla (USA) 6-3, 7-5, 6-1
Nicolas Mahut (FRA) bt Sam Querrey (USA) 7-5, 7-6 (8/6), 7-5
Guillermo Garcia Lopez (ESP x31) bt Janko Tipsarevic (SRB) 7-6 (7/4).4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1
Bernard Tomic (AUS x24) bt Damir Dzumhur (BIH) 5-7, 7-6 (7/4), 6-4, 6-3
Lleyton Hewitt (AUS) bt Aleksandr Nedovyesov (KAZ) 6-0, 7-6 (7/2), 1-0 - retired
Robin Haase (NED) bt Dustin Brown (GER) 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-4
Richard Gasquet (FRA x12) bt Thanasi Kokkinakis (AUS) 4-6, 6-1, 4-6, 6-3, 2-0 - retired
John Isner (USA x13) bt Malek Jaziri (TUN) 6-2, 6-3, 6-4
Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) bt John-Patrick Smith (AUS) 6-1, 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7/4)
Jir Vesel (CZE) bt Paolo Lorenzi (ITA) 6-4, 6-4, 6-4
Ivo Karlovic (CRO x21) bt Federico Del Bonis (ARG) 6-3, 7-5, 7-5
Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER x29) bt Alexander Zverev (GER) 6-7 (0/7), 6-2, 6-0, 2-6, 6-4
Lukas Rosol (CZE) bt Jared Donaldson (USA) 7-6 (9/7), 6-0, 7-6 (7/4)
Steve Darcis (BEL) bt Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) 6-7 (2/7), 6-3, 6-2, 3-1 - retired
Roger Federer (SUI x2) bt Leonardo Mayer (ARG) 6-1, 6-2, 6-2
Women
First round
Petra Kvitova (CZE x5) bt Laura Siegemund (GER) 6-1, 6-1
Nicole Gibbs (USA) bt Lourdes Domnguez (ESP) 6-3, 3-6, 6-4
Danka Kovinic (MNE) bt Aleksandra Krunic (SRB) 4-6, 7-5, 6-1
Anna Karolna Schmiedlov (SVK x32) bt Julia Goerges (GER) 6-3, 6-4
Andrea Petkovic (GER x18) bt Caroline Garcia (FRA) 3-6, 6-4, 7-5
Elena Vesnina (RUS) bt Laura Robson (GBR) 3-6, 6-3, 7-5
Johanna Konta (GBR) bt Louisa Chirico (USA) 6-3, 6-0
Garbie Muguruza (ESP x9) bt Carina Witthoeft (GER) 6-2, 6-4
Sara Errani (ITA x16) bt Mayo Hibi (JPN) 6-0, 6-1
Jelena Ostapenko (LAT) bt Annika Beck (GER) 6-4, 1-6, 6-4
Evgeniya Rodina (RUS) bt Tereza Mrdeza (CRO) 6-2, 6-2
Samantha Stosur (AUS x22) bt Tmea Babos (HUN) 6-3, 6-4
Flavia Pennetta (ITA x26) bt Jarmila Gajdosova (AUS) 6-1, 3-6, 6-1
Monica Niculescu (ROM) bt Alexandra Panova (RUS) 7-6 (7/3), 5-7, 6-3
Petra Cetkovsk (CZE) bt Christina McHale (USA) 4-6, 6-4, 6-3
Caroline Wozniacki (DEN x4) bt Jamie Loeb (USA) 6-2, 6-0
Lesya Tsurenko (UKR) bt Lucie Safarova (CZE x6) 6-4, 6-1
Varvara Lepchenko (USA) bt Kirsten Flipkens (BEL) 6-1, 6-1
Mona Barthel (GER) bt Tsvetana Pironkova (BUL) 5-7, 7-6 (7/4), 6-1
Olga Govortsova (BLR) bt Irina Begu (ROM x28) 6-1, 0-6, 7-6 (7/3)
Victoria Azarenka (BLR x20) bt Lucie Hradeck (CZE) 6-1, 6-2
Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) bt Francesca Schiavone (ITA) 6-3, 6-1
Karin Knapp (ITA) bt Ajla Tomljanovic (CRO) 6-7 (1/7), 6-2, 6-4
Angelique Kerber (GER x11) bt Alexandra Dulgheru (ROM) 6-3, 6-1
Barbora Strycova (CZE) bt Timea Bacsinszky (SUI x14) 7-5, 6-0
Wang Qiang (CHN) bt Maria Sakkari (GRE) 7-5, 6-2
Camila Giorgi (ITA) bt Johanna Larsson (SWE) 6-3, 6-3
Sabine Lisicki (GER x24) bt Aliaksandra Sasnovich (BLR) 6-1, 6-4
Kurumi Nara (JPN) bt Alize Cornet (FRA x27) 2-6, 6-4, 6-4
Shelby Rogers (USA) bt Sachia Vickery (USA) 6-2, 6-2
Kateryna Bondarenko (UKR) bt Yulia Putintseva (KAZ) 6-0, 6-3
Simona Halep (ROM x2) bt Marina Erakovic (NZL) 6-2, 3-0 - retired
