Nick Kyrgios savours 'special' first win since tennis return at Miami Open

Nick Kyrgios came from a set down to earn his first Tour-level match victory since his return to tennis against qualifier Mackenzie McDonald at the Miami Open.

Having gone six singles contests without a win, Kyrgios finally emerged victorious with a 3-6 6-3 6-4 triumph over McDonald in one hour and 43 minutes.

Kyrgios showed signs of frustration in the first set as McDonald raced into a 3-0 lead following an early break, though the Australian responded to level the opener.

But a break from McDonald in the eighth game proved decisive, with the American able to claim the early advantage with a love service game.

It looked like it would be another short stay on the court for the 2022 Wimbledon finalist, but an inspired end to the second set saw Kyrgios take the encounter the distance.

And having struggled to break McDonald down, Kyrgios finally prevailed and claimed his long-awaited first win after a fierce serve that was returned long by his opponent.

"To come off and get a win and feel like I belong again was special," he said. "I never thought I would play tennis again to be brutally honest with you.

"I was having conversations with my camp and my team... and I said: 'I don't know how long I can keep doing this for.'"

Kyrgios will next face Russian Karen Khachanov, but he is being cautious over just how much he can play given his wrist issue.

He added: "This [win] puts some petrol in the tank, but I need to be realistic and see how my wrist feels tomorrow because it is a grind out here."

Data Debrief: 896 days in the making

Kyrgios himself feared he would never play tennis again after struggling with injuries in recent years, with his return at the Brisbane International followed up with some difficult first-round exits.

But this victory will have felt so much sweeter, having shown resilience to battle from a set down. Indeed, he won his first Tour match since the Japan Open 2022, 896 days ago.

And he did so with some incredible serving power, notching 13 aces in the contest to his McDonald's seven, while also winning 77% (46/60) of his first-serve points.