Nick Kyrgios vs Alexander Zverev
Both part of the ATP’s ‘Next Gen’ set of players, 19-year-old Alexander Zverev and 21-year-old Nick Kyrgios have already declared their tennis skill. Kyrgios, however, has been repeatedly in the news more for his behaviour than his immensely skilled gameplay, that has seen him at 16th in the rankings.
With no full-time coach, Kyrgios last year managed to win his debut title at the Rakuten Japan Open, while Zverev joined an elite list of players who won titles on Tour as teenagers with a win at St. Petersburg in 2016. That Zverev win was even more significant considering the teenager contested the final against an in-form Stan Wawrinka fresh off his US Open win.
The two young talents, both of whom are considered the ‘future’ of tennis, are on course for a Round 3 clash, with the winner to face either Novak Djokovic or Juan Martin del Potro.
The pair have never played each other on Tour, but faced off at last year’s Hopman Cup, a team tennis exhibition event in Australia, with Kyrgios winning fairly comfortably. This year, Kyrgios progressed to the semi-finals of the Mexico Open in Acapulco, losing in three sets to eventual champion Sam Querrey – but key in that Kyrgios juggernaut was his straight-sets win over Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals.
Zverev has done well for himself this year, too, and finished in the Round of 32 at the Australian Open, going down in a difficult five-set battle with eventual finalist Rafael Nadal; the German looked on several occasions to be in control of that match before a Nadal resurgence meant that Zverev was ousted from the tournament.
Both players are in the form (and prime) of their lives, but in terms of a mental battle, we might give this to the even-tempered Zverev, who has appeared to mature since last year.
Kyrgios and Zverev are also both playing the doubles, Zverev with older brother Mischa and Kyrgios with Serbian ace Nenad Zimonjic.
But this match is perhaps a definitive statement that the new generation of tennis players has not only arrived, but is looking to cement its place right at the top of the rankings.
Fun Fact: The pair were doubles partners in the past, pairing up at Roland Garros last year. They lost in their first match to the all-Spanish combine of Pablo Carreno Busta and David Marrero.
Who Are Roger Federer's Kids? Know All About Federer's Twins
