“It was a dream come true” – Guto Miguel downs childhood idol Kyrgios in Sudden Death
Guto Miguel grew up watching Nick Kyrgios play. On Thursday night in Rio, he beat him in Sudden Death, with both players expressing mutual admiration. Kyrgios called the teenager “a hell of a kid” after the match, a dream come true for Miguel.
Guto Miguel, UTS Rio 2026 | © UTS Tour / Scrine
“Nick is a guy I grew up watching play, so it’s very cool,” Guto Miguel said after his 3-2 Sudden Death win at UTS Rio presented by XP on Thursday. “Just sharing the court with him is an honor, and people enjoying it, so it was a dream come true.”
Beating him 3-2 in quarters (21-12, 15-10, 13-16, 15-21, 2-0 in Sudden Death), in the tournament’s Melee round-robin stage, only sharpened the feeling: “Having managed to get the victory was, I think, truly a dream come true.”
Kyrgios on Miguel: “Plenty of potential”
Kyrgios matched the sentiment from the losing side. “He told me, before, that he looks up to me a lot, and I can see he’s got such an amazing talent,” he said. “He’s a hell of a kid, a great competitor.” Asked about Guto Miguel’s ceiling, he added: “He’s got plenty of potential. And a great forehand.”
Guto Miguel arrived at UTS Rio off the biggest month of his career. The 17-year-old became the first Brazilian to win the Roland Garros boys’ singles title in June, then added the Wimbledon boys’ doubles trophy five weeks later. His career-high ATP ranking sits at 824th in singles – Thursday’s win over Kyrgios was his first at the big-stage professional level.
Guto Miguel admitted the match nearly slipped away after leading two quarters to zero. “It was a game that I started very well, then he took away my rhythm, I ended up getting a little lost,” he said, crediting the crowd for the recovery: “The crowd helped me a lot today, it’s an incredible atmosphere.”
I knew they were gonna be behind Guto, but I’m just excited to go out there again tomorrow.
The match was played at the Ginásio do Maracanãzinho, right next to Rio de Janeiro’s iconic Maracanã football stadium. The arena is hosting all three days of UTS Rio presented by XP, the tour’s first-ever stop in South America.
Kyrgios, already looking to Friday’s meeting with the other fans’ favourite João Fonseca – the closing match of Day Two in the Melee – shrugged off the loss. “I used today as a bit of a warm-up, you know?” he said. “I knew they were gonna be behind Guto, but I’m just excited to go out there again tomorrow.”
