What happens when you put two Aussie tennis brats on the same court together with the world watching?
Well, exactly what you'd expect.
While Australian cricket has suffered its share of embarrassment over the past 12 months, that's just a small slice of what tennis has endured over recent years through the dubious exploits of Bernard Tomic and Nick Kyrgios.
Undoubtedly talented, both have grabbed headlines mostly for the wrong reasons, so the sport was braced for the worst, when they met for the first time ever at the Kooyong Classic.
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Tomic, currently ranked 83 in the world, breezed to a 6-3 6-4 victory over his 51st-ranked opponent, but they ended the encounter in farcical fashion, with Tomic sneakily serving between his legs and seeming to catch Kygrios by surprise for a clean ace.
"I reckon that sums up Bernard Tomic and Nick Kygrios," declared the TV commentator.
Predictably, the result caused outrage on social media.
"What a joke of a way to end the match," tweeted one fan.
"It's an absolute joke," posted Australian Olympic hockey player Georgie Parker. "I'm paying money to be here and the two idiots aren't giving two shits.
"It's an exhibition match, but you can still bet on it… how this isn't match-fixing is beyond me. Get these two off the circuit."
While spectators fumed, both players declared themselves satisfied with their form, heading into next week's Australian Open in Melbourne.
"We don't want to hurt ourselves and go too hard, because we've got to play in five days, the important one," said Tomic.
Newshub.
