Atlanta R1 previews and predictions: Kyrgios vs. Anderson, Isner vs. Wolf

Former Atlanta champions John Isner and Nick Kyrgios will headline the action on Tuesday as the first round continues in Atlanta. Isner, a five-time champion, opens against J.J. Wolf; Kyrgios is kicking off his campaign against Kevin Anderson.

Kevin Anderson vs. Nick Kyrgios

Kyrgios and Anderson will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers when they clash in round one of the Truist Atlanta Open on Tuesday. Both of their previous meetings have gone Anderson’s way, but they face not faced each other since 2017. The South African prevailed 3-6, 7-6(6), 6-2 at the 2016 Chengdu event and 5-7, 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 one year later at the French Open. Since the prime of his career in 2017 (U.S. Open final) and 2018 (Wimbledon final), Anderson has struggled with injuries. The 35-year-old just moved back inside the top 100 with a title in Newport earlier this month–his first since Pune in January of 2019.

Having played sparingly during the Covid-19 pandemic, Kyrgios finds himself down at No. 58 in the rankings. The 26-year-old Aussie has advanced two rounds at each of his three tournament appearances in 2021, most recently at Wimbledon (retired against Felix Auger-Aliassime in the last 32). Motivation has always been a problem for Kyrgios, but Atlanta has always been one of his favorite tournaments. He won the title in 2016 and in 2019 he showed up just to play doubles and otherwise hang out the rest of the week. Margins will obviously be small in this kind of matchup, but a slight edge should go to Kyrgios.

Pick: Kyrgios in 3

(6) John Isner vs. (PR) J.J. Wolf

Isner is an eight-time finalist and five-time champion in Atlanta, with titles in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, and 2018. The 36-year-old American will be eager to get back on track at his most successful event after losing to Reilly Opelka in 2019 before it was cancelled last summer. Like Kyrgios, Isner has not played much tennis during the pandemic. However, the world No. 35 at least managed to reach the Los Cabos semifinals last week in addition to capturing the doubles title. That should give him a fair amount of momentum heading into Atlanta.

This is Isner’s 11th trip to Atlanta and the first time he has not earned an opening bye. He will face Wolf on Tuesday for the first time after Wolf got into the main draw as the last direct acceptance thanks to a protected ranking. Returning from injury, the 22-year-old American played for the first time in 2021 in Los Cabos and fell to eventual runner-up Brandon Nakashima in three sets. With Wolf not completely back in full flow, Isner will likely begin his bid for title No. 6 in style.

Pick: Isner in 3