US Open: Nick Kyrgios shares brilliant moment with young fan with alopecia

Tennis officials and fans might not appreciate some of his on-court antics but Nick Kyrgios always gets behind causes that matter.

Case in point: taking extra time out of his post-match routine for a young fan with alopecia.

In the video above: Nick Kyrgios sends subtle message to critics

The condition is familiar to Kyrgios because his older brother Christos has lived with it since he was a toddler.

Kyrgios was signing autographs after his second-round win over Antoine Hoang at the US Open on Thursday in New York when he reached a young fan who wanted his t-shirt signed.

Putting a hand on his shoulder, Kyrgios asked: "Do you have alopecia?"

The boy's face lit up after the tennis star recognised the condition.

"My brother has that," Kyrgios said, leaning down for a selfie and a further little chat.

Christos, who was a regular presence in the players' box during his brother's rise, has previously had Kyrgios's support in raising awareness of alopecia.

The lovely exchange comes as the ATP weighs up whether to suspend Kyrgios for his repeated infractions.

Retired Australian tennis player Sam Groth tweeted out in support of Kyrgios after a video showed American fans packing the Grandstand court to get a look at the 28th seed's match:

Kyrgios is hoping to hang around at the US Open into the second week after his portion of the draw opened up in the first days of the tournament.

The firebrand said he was trying to keep his nose clean after his controversial first matches since a Cincinnati meltdown led to a US$117,000 fine.

"New York has a fair few distractions, so I am trying to stay away from that," he said after defeating Hoang.

"I want to really try and strap in and do well this week. I am just trying to stay focused."

Kyrgios will next play in-form Russian youngster Andrey Rublev for a place in the last 16.

He could meet Australian youngster Alexei Popyrin in the fourth round after the fast-rising 20-year-old continued his superb first full season at the slams with a 2-6 7-5 6-3 6-2 win over world No.47 Mikhail Kukushkin.

Popyrin will play Italian Matteo Berrettini after the 24th seed took out Australian No.3 Jordan Thompson 7-5 7-6 (7-5) 4-6 6-1.

De Minaur booked a date with world No.7 and former finalist Kei Nishikori with his 6-3 7-5 6-3 win over seeded Chilean Christan Garin.

"De Min, I never expect anything less from him, he's an absolute warrior. He can beat a lot of good players," Kyrgios said.

"When I see him progressing through a draw, I know it's a nightmare for anyone who comes across him.

"Obviously Popyrin had a pretty good win today. Kukushkin is a savvy veteran. I'm not surprised when those guys win matches at all. They're capable of doing some big things."

Source: 7news.com.au

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