Nick Kyrgios was involved in a heated altercation with the umpire over a time violation before composing himself to down world number six Stefanos Tsitsipas 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 and advance to the quarterfinals of the ATP 500 Halle Open on Wednesday.

The volatile Australian was given a warning for taking too long to return Tsitsipas’s serve while leading 2-0 in the second set and then proceeded to summon the supervisor to express his displeasure.

“He said I was playing too slow - statistically I’m one of the fastest,” Kyrgios told reporters after reaching his second straight quarter-final following his last-four appearance in Stuttgart last week.

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“I had to walk to the sidelines to get my towel, there is this thing called sweat in 30 Celsius heat that runs down onto your hands. I needed to wipe my hands and he gave me a warning.”

The 27-year-old added that the capacity crowd at the OWL Arena helped him his raise his game after losing the opening set to clinch a third career victory over Greek Tsitsipas and continue his impressive run heading into Wimbledon.

“The support I get from crowds around the world is amazing. They want me to go out and put on a show,” he said.

“I’m happy to still be able to produce this level with the tournaments I play. It is a testament to how hard I do work when I’m not playing.”

Kyrgios, who is unseeded, takes on Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta on Thursday.