Thursday, 1 August 2019:

NICK KYRGIOS of Australia plays a backhand against Rogerio Dutra Silva of Brazil of the 2018 Australian Open at Melbourne Park in Australia.

Nick Kyrgios has moved into the third round of the Washington Open but fellow Australian Alex de Minaur is in danger of losing his US Open seeding after crashing out in round two.

In a commanding display, Kyrgios blasted 24 aces in dispatching French 11th seed Gilles Simon 6-4 7-5.

The 24-year-old world No.52 will face Yoshihito Nishioka for a spot in the quarter-finals after the Japanese accounted for Belgian seventh seed David Goffin 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 7-6 (7-5).

But de Minaur's shock 6-3 7-6 (8-6) loss to German world No.122 Peter Gojowczyk could prove costly for the 20-year-old.

A winner of the Atlanta Open on Monday, de Minaur's failure to match his run to the final in Washington last year has left him facing a rankings freefall.

De Minaur is provisionally projected to slip from 24th to 37th, leaving the Sydneysider needing a big showing at the Montreal Masters next week to secure a seeding for the final grand slam of the year starting on August 26.

Jordan Thompson joined Kyrgios in the last 16 after a hard-fought 6-7 (8-10) 6-4 7-5 victory over 14th-seeded German Jan-Lennard Struff.

The reward for Sydneysider Thompson is a showdown with top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, with the Greek fighting back from a break down in the second set to overcome Tommy Paul 6-3 7-5.

Australian journeyman Marc Polmans pushed 10th-seeded Benoit Paire to the brink but it was the Frenchman who prevailed 6-2 6-7 (5-7) 7-5 (7-5).

Others to reach the third round included American fifth seed John Isner, 2014 Washington Open champion Milos Raonic and teenage Canadian phenom Felix Auger Aliassime.

AAP