Indian Wells 2022: Nick Kyrgios vs Sebastian Baez preview, head-to-head & prediction | BNP Paribas Open

Match details

Fixture: (WC) Nick Kyrgios vs Sebastian Baez.

Tournament: BNP Paribas Open.

Round: First round (Round of 128).

Venue: Indian Wells, USA.

Category: ATP Masters 1000.

Surface: Hardcourt.

Prize money: $8,584,055.

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video.

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Nick Kyrgios vs Sebastian Baez preview

Nick Kyrgios at the 2022 Australian Open.

Nick Kyrgios and Sebastian Baez will square off in the first round of the 2022 Indian Wells Masters.

Kyrgios hasn't competed much since the onset of the pandemic two years ago. In 2020, he participated in just two tournaments. He competed in seven events last year, but was forced to end his season early due to a knee injury. His best result during this period was a fourth-round showing at the 2020 Australian Open.

This year, Kyrgios tested positive for COVID-19 and was unable to participate in any of the warm-up events for the Australian Open. He also fell out of the top 100 of the rankings.

In the season's first Grand Slam, he lost in the second round to Daniil Medvedev. Kyrgios also competed in the doubles event alongside Thanasi Kokkinakis and the duo went on to lift the trophy to mark their maiden Grand Slam title.

The Australian took some time off after his triumph at Melbourne Park before traveling to Indian Wells to compete at the Masters 1000 event for the first time since 2019.

Sebastian Baez at the 2022 Australian Open.

Meanwhile, Sebastian Baez has gotten off to a good start in 2022. He competed in a Grand Slam for the first time at the Australian Open, where he made a winning debut by defeating Albert Ramos-Vinolas in the first round. But the Argentine lost to World No. 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas in his next match.

During the South American clay swing, Baez competed in four tournaments. He reached the quarterfinals at the Cordoba Open, but made early exits from the Argentina Open and the Rio Open.

He made his first ATP final at the Chile Open. Baez came close to winning the title after clinching the first set against Pedro Martinez in the final, but the Spaniard staged a comeback to win the match in three sets.

Despite the defeat, Baez reached a career-high ranking of 60.

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Nick Kyrgios vs Sebastian Baez head-to-head

This will be their first meeting on tour, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.

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Nick Kyrgios vs Sebastian Baez prediction

Nick Kyrgios at the 2021 US Open.

Kyrgios' recent results in singles have been disappointing, but after winning the doubles title at the Australian Open, he might feel inspired to step up his game. Baez did well to reach the final in Chile, but is more comfortable on clay and is yet to prove himself on hardcourt.

Kyrgios' serve is his biggest strength as he frequently hits aces and wins free points. At times, he even throws in an underarm serve to catch his opponent off guard. The 26-year-old's groundstrokes pack a punch and his doubles experience has made him quite handy at the net too. His biggest weakness is his movement and mentality.

Baez will attempt to translate his success on clay to hardcourt, but might find it tough to do so against a player like Kyrgios. His serve doesn't match up to the Australian's and he lacks his opponent's power as well.

Baez ultimately might have to rely on Kyrgios losing his focus. However, waiting for the Australian to implode isn't a viable strategy and the 21-year-old will need to find a way to be more proactive if he wants to win.

Kyrgios' disdain for claycourters is well documented and he'll want to do his best to ensure he doesn't lose against Baez.

Prediction: Nick Kyrgios to win in three sets.