Kyrgios injury flares at Hopman

[caption id="attachment_110456" align="alignleft"] Nick Kyrgios of Australia hits a return against Jack Sock of the US during their tenth session men's singles match on day five of the Hopman Cup tennis tournament in Perth on January 5, 2017 — AFP
[/caption] PERTH — Australian Open hopeful Nick Kyrgios played down concerns over a worsening knee injury less than two weeks before the first Grand Slam of the year in Melbourne. Two days after the world No. 13 stridently dismissed talk of lingering problems with his left leg he labored through a dismal loss to Jack Sock at the mixed teams Hopman Cup in the tie between Australia and the United States. Kyrgios was beaten 6-2, 6-2 in under an hour in a performance which did not augur well for the Australian Open, starting a week from Monday. After the loss Kyrgios pulled out of the scheduled mixed doubles and said scans on his left knee earlier in the day had revealed a problem, which almost led to him also withdrawing from the singles. Kyrgios said he would be ready for the Australian Open. With Australia forfeiting the doubles, the United States beat the defending champion 2-1, although Daria Gavrilova beat Coco Vandeweghe, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5. The Americans were already through to the final and will be hoping to give the US a record seventh title. Sock and Vandeweghe will face either the Swiss pairing of Roger Federer and Belinda Bencic or the French combination of Richard Gasquet and Kristina Mladenovic. The French and Swiss face off Friday for the other spot in the final. Goerges stuns Wozniacki Unseeded German Julia Goerges burst into the WTA Auckland Classic limelight Thursday with a dramatic come-from-behind win to oust Caroline Wozniacki 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the quarterfinals. Goerges will play eighth seed Ana Konjuh in the semifinals with Jelena Ostapenko, the seventh seed and only other seeded player to make the final four, up against Lauren Davis. Konjuh had an easy passage into the final four when Japan’s Naomi Osaka pulled out of their quarterfinal with a wrist injury. Latvia’s Ostapenko overcame a slow start to beat American Madison Brengle 7-5, 6-3 in their quarterfinal. Earlier, America’s Davis knocked out fourth seed Barbora Strycova in straight sets in the first quarterfinal. Riske upsets Radwanska American world number 39 Alison Riske stunned Polish top seed Agnieszka Radwanska in the Shenzhen Open on Thursday, sending her careering out of the WTA tournament 6-2, 3-6, 6-0. The highest-ranked player left in the $750,000 Shenzhen Open is Britain’s world No. 10 Johanna Konta, who ground out a 6-4, 6-7 (11/13), 6-3 victory over Kristyna Pliskova of the Czech Republic. In Friday’s semifinals Riske will face Italy’s Camila Giorgi, who eliminated home player Wang Qiang 6-0, 6-2. Konta will take on Katerina Siniakova, who followed up her defeat of world number four Simona Halep by disposing of Serb qualifier Nina Stojanovic, 6-3, 6-4. — Agencies