Nick Kyrgios emerged victorious from a riotous second-round clash with Dustin Brown at Wimbledon.
The pair are good friends off the court and brought a lot of fun to the grass during a quick-fire five-setter that did away with convention.
Serves were rattled down with barely any regard to tossing the ball, towels were rarely called for, and both men slung their rackets in front of almost anything and everything to thrill the Court Two crowd.
It was of no surprise that both men put on a rapid shoot-out of a match, Kyrgios' 5-7 (7/3) 6-1 2-6 6-4 6-4 win wrapped up inside two hours and six minutes on court, featuring 133 winners.
They were on and off court at regular intervals owing to the rain, and the crucial point in the match came after the final delay, Kyrgios breaking upon their protracted return to the court.
"It was a lot of fun," Kyrgios said afterwards.
"It was frustrating at times but I knew it would be fun. He's an entertainer, he's fun to watch and I don't think this match was ever going to go anything other than five sets."
Brown's departure means one of the game's real characters is no longer in the draw. Instantly recognisable because of his dreadlocks, he is a darling of the Wimbledon fans after memorable previous wins over Lleyton Hewitt and Rafael Nadal.
He will not make the second week, but this match will be spoken about for some time to come, especially Brown's between-the-legs drop-shot winner in the third set which quickly went viral.
Source: PA
