Australian firebrand Nick Kyrgios claimed he was racially abused by sections of the crowd as he slipped to a bad-tempered defeat against Andy Murray in the Stuttgart semi-finals on Saturday. Kyrgios was penalised a point and then a game for unsportsmanlike conduct early in the second set, smashing a racquet before an angry exchange with a group in the crowd. The 27-year-old, who is of Greek origin, said he had been the victim of racism. "When is this going to stop? Dealing with racist slurs from the crowd?" Kyrgios wrote on Instagram.