Rafael Nadal emerged victorious against Nick Kyrgios but the bad feeling between the two showed no signs of easing after a spicy second-round contest at Wimbledon.
The two have been locked in a war of words over the last few weeks, with Kyrgios trading insults with Nadal and his uncle Toni and that threatened to spill out on to Centre Court in the Spaniard's 6-3 3-6 7-6 (5) 7-6 (3) win.
There were the customary underarm serves and constant chatter with the umpire, but there was almost a flashpoint in the third set when Kyrgios thrashed a forehand straight at Nadal and opted not to apologise.
It was not the first time he appeared to take aim at his opponent and a furious Nadal let Kyrgios know exactly how he felt by giving him an icy stare, but he got the ultimate revenge by sending the Australian home.
Respect.#Wimbledon | @RafaelNadal | @NickKyrgios pic.twitter.com/VPEXttuRfo
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 4, 2019
The pair were cordial at the end, shaking hands at the net as tempers cooled.
That will come as no surprise to Kyrgios, who predicted he would lose when replying to a post on Instagram, while his reported presence in the Dog and Fox pub in Wimbledon village until 11.30pm on the eve of the match is sure to be a talking point.
Kyrgios, so often prone to a mental checkout, to his credit stuck to his task and made Nadal work hard, narrowly missing out on a place in the record books when he fired down a 143mph second serve - the second fastest in history.
Entertainment from start to finish...@RafaelNadal outlasts Nick Kyrgios 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(3) to progress to the third round for the 10th time#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/FWjNvD8acK
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 4, 2019
After all the pre-match hype regarding their feud, Nadal made an early statement by surging into a 3-0 lead.
Much of the beef between the two started in Acapulco in February when Kyrgios produced an underarm serve on his way to a three-set win and it took him only 24 minutes to bring it out of his locker.
It earned a much warmer reception by a thrilled Centre Court crowd, while Nadal afforded himself a chuckle and he was smiling again soon after as he sealed the first set 6-3, serving it out easily.
Kyrgios spent the entirety of Nadal's toilet break complaining about his slow play, but he channelled that frustration in the best way possible at the start of the second as he found the zone.
He broke to lead 2-0 with an arrowing forehand down the line to end a pulsating rally and then saved two break points, which left him roaring all the way back to his chair.
The 24-year-old even shook off a warning from umpire Damien Dumusois for continued ranting about Nadal's speed of play, to serve the second set out and level it up.
He is never far from the edge of the cliff, though, and was venting again, this time over Dumusois' decision to award a point to Nadal after he challenged a second serve which was originally called out.
The spat between the two looked like it might spill out on to court at the business end of the third set as Kyrgios thundered a forehand straight at Nadal and did not apologise when it him him, earning himself a stern glare from his opponent.
Nadal got his revenge by taking the set on a tie-break to move one away from victory.
Kyrgios could have been expected to give up, as he has so often before, but he stuck around, forcing another tie-break in the fourth set.
He will have nightmares about an easy volley he put into the net on the first point, which gave Nadal the impetus and the two-time SW19 winner saw it out for an impressive win that he enjoyed.
Roger Federer dashed home hopes of an outlandish upset at Wimbledon by easing into the third round with a 6-1 7-6(3) 6-2 win over Britain's world number 169 Jay Clarke on Thursday to reach the third round.
Federer had never lost a Grand Slam match to somebody as low as Clarke in the rankings and, despite the Briton putting up a brave fight in the second set, the huge gulf in class ensured the Swiss never had to get out of second gear.
Chasing a ninth Wimbledon title, Federer blasted out of the blocks, winning the opening set in double quick time, before Clarke got a foothold in the contest, holding serve throughout the second set to force a tiebreak.
The home crowd began to sense the beginnings of an upset when Clarke secured a mini-break on the Federer serve, but it was a fleeting advantage, with the Swiss taking the set and breaking early in the third.
The 20-year-old Clarke handed Federer matchpoint with a double fault and the 20-times Grand Slam champion wrapped up the contest when the Briton sent a backhand wide.
"I really enjoyed myself. The tank is full. I came here with a lot of confidence, the first few matches haven't been very taxing physically. You try to win your matches regardless of the score, if you win them in straights that's better," Federer said.
"This first week has been going well and I know the opponents in terms of ranking will now get better."
The Swiss will next face either Lucas Pouille or Gregoire Barrere.
