Nick Kyrgios' first ATP Tour victory in more than a year proved to be short-lived as the Australian suffered a second-round defeat to Japanese qualifier Sho Shimabukuro at the Stuttgart Open.
Competing in just his second singles match since January, Kyrgios looked on course for another positive result after claiming the opening set. However, Shimabukuro produced an impressive comeback to secure a 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 victory and book his place in the quarter-finals.
The defeat ended what had been an encouraging week for Kyrgios, who returned to the winner's circle on Tuesday with a straight-sets victory over eighth seed Corentin Moutet. It was his first tour-level win since March 2025 and another step forward in his recovery from the knee and wrist injuries that have limited his appearances in recent seasons.
Granted a wildcard entry into the grass-court event, the 2022 Wimbledon runner-up showed flashes of his best form against Shimabukuro. However, the world No. 104 stayed composed during a tightly contested second-set tiebreak before taking control in the decider to complete the upset.
Elsewhere in Stuttgart, several leading contenders advanced to the quarter-finals.
Source: Atp Tour
Second seed Taylor Fritz was pushed to the limit by Spain's Martin Landaluce before emerging with a hard-fought 6-7 (4-7), 7-5, 7-6 (7-3) victory. The American's win marked his first since the Miami Open in March and kept alive his hopes of building momentum ahead of Wimbledon.
Czech player Jiri Lehecka also recovered from a set down to defeat Australia's James Duckworth 6-7 (8-10), 6-4, 7-6 (7-3), while fifth seed Frances Tiafoe enjoyed a more comfortable outing, beating fellow Australian Rinky Hijikata 6-4, 6-4.
Meanwhile, action at the Queen's Club Championships in London was completely washed out on Thursday due to poor weather conditions.
At the Libema Open in the Netherlands, top seed Felix Auger-Aliassime continued his strong start to the grass-court season with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Hungary's Marton Fucsovics before rain interrupted the remainder of the schedule.
While Kyrgios' run in Stuttgart has come to an end, the former Wimbledon finalist leaves Germany with valuable match practice and a much-needed victory as he continues his comeback ahead of the grass-court major later this summer.
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