That was his third title of the season—and of his career—following Marseille indoors, when he topped 2014 US Open champ Marin Cilic in the final, and Atlanta, where he knocked out Isner for the win.
He was denied any first-place hardware in 2017, but did reach his first ATP Masters 1000 final over the summer in Cincinnati, where he fell to Grigor Dimitrov. The Australian managed to delight the home crowd at the beginning of 2018, when he won his fourth title in Brisbane.
It’s hard to peg anyone as a specialist of late with the surfaces playing more uniform, and like Anderson and Raonic, Kyrgios is no exception: After all, his first final came on clay in Estoril in 2015, nearly a year after his Grand Slam breakthrough at Wimbledon, where he advanced to the quarterfinals in his debut appearance.
Surprisingly, he hasn’t done well in New York for the last major of the year, the US Open. His best results are a trio of third-round showings, with the most recent one coming last year.
Provided his health and attitude hold up, he’ll be on the short list of contenders, solidifying his status as a hard-court standout.
Follow Van on Twitter: @Van_Sias