Nick Kyrgios left court to smash two racquets in a bad-tempered Cincinnati Masters defeat by Karen Khachanov after which he called the umpire “a tool”.
The Australian, 24, walked off court against the wishes of umpire Fergus Murphy after losing the second set.
He slammed two racquets on the floor in a corridor and in the third set engaged in repeated disputes with Murphy.
Russia’s Khachanov, 23, dominated the deciding set to win 6-7 (3-7) 7-6 (7-4) 6-2 and reach round three.
Khachanov, who plays Lucas Pouille in the last 16, said Kyrgios has “great talent” but “sometimes the head is not in the right place”.
Kyrgios clashed with Murphy at the Washington Open two weeks ago and also swore at the official at Queen’s in June.
During the second set in Cincinnati, Kyrgios made clear he felt the shot clock – which counts down the seconds allowed between points – was being started too early, and visibly lost composure.
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