US Open 2022: Nick Kyrgios complains of marijuana odour in win over Benjamin Bonzi

The match was not without incident though, with the Canberran at one point expressing his frustration at the chair umpire over a "marijuana" smell wafting in the air.

Kyrgios was cruising through his match when in the second set he lost a bit of his composure, tied at 4-4.

At the change of ends he complained to the chair umpire about what he believed was "marijuana smoke" in the Louis Armstrong Stadium.

"You don't want to remind people, not to do it?" Kyrgios questioned.

"It wasn't the kitchen bro, it was f**king marijuana.

"It was smoke. Obviously I'm not going to complain about food smell.

"When athletes are running side to side and have asthma already, it's probably not ideal."

The official then announced to the crowd that "as a courtesy to the players" not to smoke in the arena. The drug is currently legal in the state of New York.

Kyrgios was animated in his second round victory against Bonzi - swearing and mocking himself, talking through his own serve, getting upset at his box, but he also produced some extraordinary shots, including 30 aces.

Bonzi had Kyrgios rattled in the third set, with the 23rd seed seen to spit in the Frenchman's direction after he was broken 4-5, and walked to his bench.

That earned Kyrgios a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct.

But Kyrgios was all smiles after closing out the match in the fourth set, pumping his fist to huge cheers, before shaking hands with Bonzi at the net.

"I was literally hanging by a thread," Kyrgios said after the victory.

"His level today was incredible. I was not expecting an absolute war.

"It could have gone either way early in the fourth but I got there.

"I played some really risky tennis late in that fourth set to win.

"I'm just really happy to get through.

"I have high expectations to go deep this week.

"I felt like he was eating up my serves with his returns. To serve 30 aces helps a lot. When my serve is going my game follows."

Kyrgios said his form of late has piled on pressure from outside and within, making his life "more stressful".

"Now I'm expecting to play phenomenal tennis," he said.

"But I'd rather have that pressure and expectation to go far.

"I feel I'm playing some of the best tennis of my life."

Next up for Kyrgios in the third round is American J.J. Wolf, ranked 87th in the world.

We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on The Canberra Times website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. See our moderation policy here.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: