Atlanta R2 previews and predictions: Tiafoe vs. Baghdatis, Kyrgios vs. Rubin

Frances Tiafoe and Marcos Baghdatis will square off in what should be an entertaining affair in the Atlanta second round on Thursday. Meanwhile, Nick Kyrgios is beginning his week with a contest against qualifier Noah Rubin.

Marcos Baghdatis vs. (5) Frances Tiafoe

Tiafoe and Baghdatis will be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers when they battle for a quarterfinal spot at the BB&T Atlanta Open on Thursday. In his fourth Atlanta appearance, Tiafoe picked up his first main-draw win when he defeated Marius Copil 6-4, 6-4 on Tuesday. It has been a season of firsts for the 20-year-old American, who is up to a career-high ranking of No. 42 in the world thanks in part to a title in Delray Beach, a runner-up performance in Estoril, a fourth-round finish in Miami and a third-round showing at Wimbledon.

Baghdatis booked his spot in the second round by beating Alex Bolt 6-4, 6-1 in what was a stellar display of tennis. The 95th-ranked Cypriot will now look for back-to-back victories at an ATP-level tournament for the first time since reaching the Indian Wells fourth round as a qualifier. An edge in current form goes to Tiafoe, whose firepower with his serve and forehand should get the best of Baghdatis’ clean ball-striking.

Pick: Tiafoe in 3

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(Q) Noah Rubin vs. (2) Nick Kyrgios

Kyrgios will kick off his bid for a second Atlanta title in his second appearance when he takes the court on Thursday. A return to what Kyrgios says in one his favorite tournaments (he won it in 2016 and was scheduled to play last summer before withdrawing due to injury) may be just what the doctor ordered for the 18th-ranked Australian. After missing most of the clay-court swing, he played well on grass in Halle (lost to Roger Federer in a third-set tiebreaker in the semifinals) and at Queen’s Club (lost to Marin Cilic in two tiebreakers in the semis) but then got clobbered by Kei Nishikori in the Wimbledon third round.

Up first for the No. 2 seed is Rubin, whom he has unsurprisingly never faced. The 164th-ranked American has spent most of his time on tour in Futures and Challengers, to the extent that his 6-3, 6-4 victory over fellow qualifier Thanasi Kokkinakis on Tuesday was just the fifth of his career on the main tour (5-12 record, 2-3 this season). Rubin’s defense and consistency will undoubtedly be a nuisance to Kyrgios, but the latter will likely blast the underdog off the court in the end.

Pick: Kyrgios in 2

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