Nick Kyrgios has been handed a place in the third round of the Rogers Cup after Stanislas Wawrinka retired with a back injury in the third set of a gripping encounter.

It quickly became clear that the Montreal crowd were in for an exciting evening as the two players exchanged early breaks, but both improved on serve to set up a tie-break in the opener.

Wawrinka looked to have gifted the lead to the Australian when he wasted two break points, before Kyrgios missed a chance of his own and watched the two-time Grand Slam winner take it 10-8.

Kyrgios fought back impressively in the second set, and the 20-year-old used a solitary break of serve to get back level as Wawrinka struggled to compete in the longer rallies.

There were clear signs early in the decider that Wawrinka was struggling with an injury, and after losing his serve twice in the opening four games, he shook hands with Kyrgios to send his rival through with the score 6-7 6-3 4-0.