Nick Kyrgios has set up a second-round showdown with world No. 1 Daniil Medvedev as the Australian tennis star continued his excellent preparations for the US Open in Montreal. The 27-year-old Kyrgios defeated Argentine Sebastian Baez 6-4, 6-4 to extend his hard-court winning streak to seven sets. Kyrgios had just won a remarkable single and doubles title double in Washington on Sunday.
However, after going 64 games without a break in the nation’s capital, Kyrgios eventually lost serve in the opening set on Wednesday, ending his streak at 67. Kyrgios enjoyed a commanding 5-1 advantage in the first set, but Baez battled back to 4-5 before losing the set.
After 85 exciting minutes, the Australian managed to stan the bleeding and was brutal with his groundstrokes in the second set to regain control and secure the match.
Kyrgios has won 14 of his previous 15 matches and has moved up to No. 37 in the ATP rankings. The victory also improved his seeding for Flushing Meadows, the final grand slam of the year, which begins on August 29 in New York.
The Wimbledon runner-up conceded, though, that he was somewhat tired after winning his first trophy in three years last week.
Physically, I am in good health. “I’m just so mentally exhausted,” Kyrgios remarked. “It is never simple. I have not slept well for the past few nights.
But I’m attempting to move on from that. I’m in Montreal, and I haven’t played very well here in the past, so I wanted to come out today and win this match. Taking on Medvedev is a formidable challenge. It will be quite enjoyable.”
After being banned from Wimbledon, the Russian-born Medvedev returned to hard courts and won last week’s tournament in Los Cabos, Mexico without dropping a set. This month, he will defend the 2021 US Open title he earned by overcoming Novak Djokovic to deny the Serbian great a Grand Slam.
He is still ranked No. 1 on the ATP tour. His five-set loss to Rafael Nadal at the 2022 Australian Open, following a two-set lead, was the second-longest final in history, lasting five hours and 24 minutes.
“Medvedev is a phenomenal athlete. Kyrgios stated, “He’s so unconventional, he’s a terrific competitor, and he’s just an animal. I’d like to see where I’m at.” “He will likely experience a little amount of weariness as well. I am aware that I am a long shot, but I will give it my best effort.”
Earlier, Alex de Minaur advanced without difficulty to the second round of the Masters 1000 tournament. The Australian No. 1 needed only five points and three minutes to clinch a 7-5 7-6 (7-4) victory after play was suspended on Monday with the second-set tiebreak tied at 3-3 due to rain.
After winning his sixth career title in Atlanta last month, de Minaur has won eight of his previous ten hard-court matches.
He is now ranked 21st in the world. The quarterfinalist in the 2020 US Open will next face Grigor Dimitrov, who defeated Canadian wildcard Alexis Galarneau 6-4 7-5 in his opening round.
