Nick Kyrgios' reward for his huge win over Roger Federer at the Madrid Masters is an almost certain French Open seeding.
Kyrgios ranked his thrilling 6-7 (2-7) 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (14-12) victory over the top seed and four-time champion on Wednesday night above his stunning fourth-round triumph over then-world No.1 Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon last year.
"This is definitely the greatest win over my career so far," Kyrgios said after saving two match points and clinching victory on his sixth to showcase his claycourt credentials in spectacular fashion.
"It doesn't really feel real at the moment. I didn't really feel as if I was playing out there - it almost felt like I was watching.
"It was similar to that match at Wimbledon when I played Rafa. It's a strange feeling. It hasn't happened many times in my career. It's happened twice now. It's pretty exciting."
The 20-year-old Australian is now the youngest player in more than a decade to have conquered both Nadal and Federer, his childhood idol, and first ever to do so while both tennis titans were in the top 10.
Novak Djokovic was two months older when he completed the double five months before securing the first of his eight grand slam crowns at the Australian Open in 2008.
"He's got a wonderful serve, good potential, so I hope he keeps working hard and that he can compete for the best spots in tennis," said Federer, who invited Kyrgios to train with him in Zurich before last year's French Open.
Already at a career-high No.35 in the world after reaching his maiden ATP final last weekend in Portugal, Kyrgios is now all but guaranteed his first grand slam seeding when the French Open gets underway in Paris on May 24.
Australian Davis Cup captain Wally Masur has no doubts if conditions are warm and sunny that Kyrgios, already a two-time grand slam quarter-finalist, can cause some real damage at Roland Garros.
"Absolutely he can," Masur said told Fox Sports.
"With the big serve and power of his forward, he can very, very dangerous at the French."
As Federer discovered in his first loss to a 20-year-old since falling to Juan Martin del Potro in the 2009 US Open final.
"My problem was I couldn't return his first serve," said Federer, who won only 18 of 85 first-serve return points and watched 22 aces whiz by.
Kyrgios said at Christmas that he considered clay his best surface before his run to last year's Wimbledon quarter-finals.
And he proved it by overcoming an expletive-laden first-set meltdown to prevail over a five-times French Open finalist and former champion after two hours and 37 minutes of tension and drama.
Kyrgios received a code for unsportsmanlike conduct in the first-set tiebreak, saying "get him out of here" to chair umpire Mo Lahyani in reference to a line umpire following an incorrect call.
Commentators were then forced to apologise multiple times for Kyrgios' foul language and the outburst, which also involved him smashing his racquet into the red dirt, didn't help the volatile star as he fell apart to lose the tiebreak 7-2.
Lahyani told Kyrgios to "stop complaining" and he calmed himself before rallying from a break down in the second set to force another tiebreak as Federer began feeling the heat.
As Kyrgios reeled off a string of impressive winners and powerful serves to race to a 5-0 lead in the breaker, the normally unflappable Swiss barked "we need a clown for this circus" at a change of ends.
When asked if he had been intimidated coming up against his idol for the first time, Kyrgios replied: "I know he's the greatest.
"I knew before the match I had to play one of the greatest matches I've ever played.
"(But) I wasn't intimidated at all - I have a lot of respect for him."
Kyrgios next meets American 16th seed John Isner for a spot in the quarter-finals.
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