THE controversy of Nick Kyrgios’ second-round US Open win over Pierre-Hugues Herbert didn’t stop at his bizarre pep talk from the chair umpire.
Trailing by a set and a break in the second set, Kyrgios fired barbs back at a crowd which seemed keen for him to get on with things and get off the court.

The Australian firebrand eventually won the match in four sets, but reporters at the event said he was repeatedly targeted by a heckler who was clearly only there to see the next match, featuring glamorous Canadian Eugenie Bouchard.

Bouchard eventually made her way onto court, only to be bounced 6-4 6-3 at the hands of Marketa Vondrousova.

Chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani is under fire for his controversial intervention in the Kyrgios win, which set up a third-round encounter with Roger Federer.

Kyrgios was trailing 3-0 in the second set, having thrown away the first on a wild second-serve double-fault, when Lahyani left his chair to beg the enigmatic star to start trying for the sake of the paying crowd and to avoid being sanctioned - again - for not giving his best effort.

“I want to help you. I want to help you,” Lahyani said.

“I’ve seen your matches: you’re great for tennis. Nick, I know this is not you.”

Seeking some sort of physical treatment, Kyrgios said: “Okay. Just call the trainer to the court and I’ll try.”

But when the trainer arrived and asked what Kyrgios needed treatment for, the Australian said: “I don’t know, check my wrist or something ... Can you just stay out here for like two minutes?“

The umpire’s controversial “coaching” was savaged on social media, with fans furious about his perceived bias towards Kyrgios.