Nick Kyrgios may have served notice that he is finally starting to fulfil his potential as he knocked Novak Djokovic out of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, his second win in two games against the Serb.
The 21-year-old Australian defeated the former world number one in their first ever meeting in Acapulco last month and his 6-4, 7-6 victory in the fourth round ATP 1000 event this week may suggest that, at the very least, Djokovic may have met his nemesis.
As in the Mexico Open, Djokovic was undone by a brilliant serving display, with the holder acknowledging that he was beaten by a player in exceptional form as his stellar run of three successive Indian Wells titles came to an end.
He said: "The run was amazing. I am very proud of it, obviously. It had to end at some stage. Unfortunately, it was today.
"Nick, again, as he did in Acapulco earlier, few weeks ago, he served so well. [I] just wasn't managing to get a lot of balls back on his serve, first and second, as well. That's what made a difference."
While the two victories over Djokovic may be a sign that the mercurial Australian is starting to fulfil his huge potential and ready to challenge for Grand Slams, the loss of the title means Djokovic will fall further behind Andy Murray at the top of the rankings, despite the Scot's own early exit.
By beating Djokovic in Mexico, Kyrgios became the first player since fellow Aussie Lleyton Hewitt to win his first tour matches against Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, although he has so far failed to beat Murray in five meetings. Even so, fans booking corporate hospitality for the Championships, Wimbledon may see the best of Kyrgios this summer.
Kyrgios will get a chance to improve his record against Federer in the semi-final after the Australian Open champion repeated his victory in Melbourne over Nadal. Following the five-set epic at Melbourne Park, this win was far more straightforward for Federer, who prevailed 6-2, 6-3.
In the women's draw, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Karolina Pliskova are through to the semi-finals, with Caroline Wozniacki and Venus Williams among the players hoping to get through today (March 16th).