Australian world No. 15 Nick Kyrgios showcased the full range of his mercurial talents to reach the Japan Open semifinals with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Luxembourg's Gilles Muller on Friday.
Kyrgios, whose volatile on-court antics have earned him a reputation as the bad boy of tennis, treated the Center Court crowd at Ariake Colosseum to a dazzling array of delicate drop shots, bamboozling slices and 18 thundering aces as he dispatched world No. 36 Muller to set up a semifinal meeting with No. 2 seed Gael Monfils of France.
"I played well today," said Kyrgios, who answered questions while staring blankly into space for the majority of his post-match news conference. "I thought it was a steady performance. I served well, returned well and I thought my engagement was really good and that's obviously when I play my best tennis.