Sarasota Open champion upsets Nadal at Wimbledon

From Longboat Key to the grass courts of the All England Club, Australian teenager Nick Kyrgios is making his presence known in the tennis world.

Kyrgios, currently No. 144 in the ATP rankings, upset 14-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal in the fourth round of Wimbledon today. The unseeded Kyrgios, 19, defeated Nadal in 4 sets, 7-6 (5), 5-7, 7-6 (5), 6-3.

Kyrgios won the men’s singles Sarasota Open title in April, defeating Serbian Filip Krajinovic 7-6 (10), 6-4.

Nadal, ranked No. 1 in the world and seeded second in the tournament, is a two-time Wimbledon champion. Kyrgios is playing in his fifth career major tournament, advancing past the second round for the first time.

Kyrgios moves on to the quarterfinals, where he will face eighth-seed Milos Raonic Wednesday. Kyrgios is the youngest player in the 2014 Wimbledon field.

Another tennis star with Longboat Key connections didn’t fare as well Tuesday, as No. 5 Maria Sharapova fell to ninth-seeded Angelique Kerber in a three-set fourth-round matchup.

Contact David Conway at [email protected].