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Match Details
Fixture: Nick Kyrgios (Team Eagles) vs Alexander Zverev (Team Hawks).
Date: December 23, 2022.
Tournament: World Tennis League.
Round: Group stage.
Venue: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Category: Exhibition Tournament.
Surface: Hardcourt.
Match timing: Approx 5 pm local time, 1 pm GMT, 8 am ET and 6:30 pm IST.
Live telecast: USA, UK - Tennis Channel | Australia - Stan Sport | India - Jio Cinema & Sports 18.
Nick Kyrgios vs Alexander Zverev preview
2022 Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios will take on 2020 US Open runner-up Alexander Zverev in the group stage of the World Tennis League on Friday.
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Kyrgios started his campaign here by winning his mixed doubles match. Teaming up with Bianca Andreescu, they defeated Eugenie Bouchard and Holger Rune. He then took to the court once again for his singles contest, but lost to Felix Auger-Aliassime in straight sets.
Kyrgios was slated to face Novak Djokovic on Wednesday evening, but the latter couldn't compete as he was feeling unwell. His new opponent was Grigor Dimitrov. Both players had multiple break point chances early on in the first set, but neither was able to make the most of those opportunities.
Dimitrov then gained the upper hand in the ensuing tie-break to grab the opening set. After being evenly matched for half of the second set, Kyrgios lost his serve twice towards the end as he lost the match 7-6 (5), 6-3.
After a lengthy injury lay-off, Zverev returned to action at another exhibition event in Saudi Arabia. He won his first match against Dominic Thiem, but lost to Daniil Medvedev afterwards. He didn't have an easy start here either as he was drawn against Djokovic in his first singles contest.
Zverev was off to a slow start as he fell behind 2-0 in the first set. He regrouped rather quickly, reeling off the next three games in a row to get back on serve. Following a hold of serve by Djokovic, the German bagged the next three consecutive games to bag the set.
The two started the second set by breaking each other's serve, but remained on level terms after that. Zverev nabbed the decisive break in the fifth game to go 3-2 up. He kept his nose in front after that to win the match 6-3, 6-4.
Nick Kyrgios vs Alexander Zverev head-to-head
Kyrgios leads Zverev 4-3 in the head-to-head. He won their previous encounter at the 2019 Mexican Open in straight sets.
Nick Kyrgios vs Alexander Zverev odds
(Odds will be added once they're available)
Nick Kyrgios vs Alexander Zverev prediction
Kyrgios slumped to his second straight loss in singles against Dimitrov. While his serve did help him out at times, his second serve left him vulnerable yet again, leading to his downfall. His gameplay, which looked a bit imposing earlier during the season, seems a little blunted at the moment.
Zverev, on the other hand, will be quite pleased with his performance against Djokovic. His movement and court coverage was quite good against the Serb, which is a positive development considering he's returning following surgery for torn ligaments in his ankle.
The German was able to match his opponent shot for shot as well. He did have some issues with respect to his serve, coughing up eight double faults, though that's not a new development in his game. Based on how they've played so far, Zverev should be able to withstand any challenge presented by Kyrgios.
Pick: Alexander Zverev to win in straight sets.
