Nick Kyrgios lost to Taylor Fritz amid on-court advertising lights

• Kyrgios loses 6-3, 6-2 to American Taylor Fritz.
• Australian was 15-2 since his Wimbledon final win over Novak Djokovic.
• Murray needed a massage on his right thigh before leaving the court.

On Wednesday at the ATP and WTA Cincinnati Masters, Wimbledon runner-up Nick Kyrgios lost 6-3, 6-2 against American Taylor Fritz due to concerns about on-court advertising lights.

The Australian was immediately in complaint mode, decrying the distraction of flashing LED lights on a billboard and demanding a solution.

Kyrgios, who won Washington this month, lost in 50 minutes to Fritz, the 11th seed.

The Aussie was 15-2 since his Wimbledon final win over Novak Djokovic.

After admitting he’s counting the days till the US Open’s end, Nick Kyrgios seemed uninterested in the job on court.

Fritz picked up match point with a 12th ace and prevailed when Nick Kyrgios shot a poor forehand into the top of the net.

“It feels great the way my game is coming together,” Fritz said. “This is the kind of match I need to build confidence.

“A lot of things were clicking today, I felt great.”

Women’s 10th position Emma Raducanu defeated Victoria Azarenka 6-0, 6-2, her second Grand Slam title in less than 24 hours.

Teenage US Open champion won the first 10 games before her senior opponent won a game.

But the young Briton, who had defeated Serena Williams the previous night with another love set, was having none of it.

Raducanu methodically reached 5-1, saved two break points, then served out the match on her second match point after Azarenka’s return went long.

Azaranka, the 2013 and 2020 US Open champion, won only two games in a third-round loss to Ashleigh Barty last year.

“I played a great match,” stated Raducanu. “To play Vika like that I had to stay focused.

“In the second set I could feel the important moments. I’m pleased with how I dug in and served it out.”

Andy Murray required a trainer’s visit following his 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 loss against Cameron Norrie in the second round of the men’s tournament.

Murray, a two-time Cincinnati champion, needed a massage on his right thigh before leaving the court. The US Open resumes August 29.

“At times I felt like I played really well and then at times didn’t. My consistency maybe was not where I’d want it,” Murray said.

“But there was some positive tennis in there at times. I definitely had enough opportunities to win that match.”

Murray’s cramp concerns

The 35-year-old Scotsman is concerned about his health after experiencing cramping in other tournaments in recent weeks.

“It’s a big concern for me. It’s something I need to address and find a solution for,” Murray said. “You need to try and understand what’s going on there.”

Eleventh-ranked Norrie broke the match’s sluggish stalemate with a service break in the eighth game and converted his first match point.

Norrie stated, “I just played the bigger points a bit better.” It boiled down to one or two factors.

Norrie had 39 winners to Murray’s 37. Murray converted only two of 11 break chances and committed over 40 unforced errors.

“I was not physical enough at the start of the match,” Norrie said. “I was not executing the way I liked. I was pleased to get through without playing my best.”

Elsewhere in the second round, the fifth-seeded Casper Ruud was defeated by the American Ben Shelton, 6-3, 6-3.

In the women’s draw, fifth-seeded Tunisian and Wimbledon finalist Ons Jabeur upset Cincinnati’s Caty McNally 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (9/7).

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