MELBOURNE, Australia — Grigor Dimitrov’s game is textbook. Nick Kyrgios’s is sketchbook.
Together, they created something special on Sunday night at the Australian Open: a fourth-round carnival ride that was missing only a fifth set for full-blown transcendence.
A fifth set looked mighty likely after Dimitrov faltered when serving for the match at 5-3 in the fourth.
That fired up Kyrgios and fans in the largely Australian crowd at Rod Laver Arena, a few of whom did their best to disrupt Dimitrov’s rhythm between points and even serves.
A lesser competitor — or a younger Dimitrov — might have taken the hint.