The first round of 2018 Davis Cup action will begin with the Germany vs. Australia tie on Friday. Hoping to benefit from home-court advantage in Brisbane, the Australians are sending Alex de Minaur and Nick Kyrgios to the table against Alexander Zverev and Jan-Lennard Struff.
(GER) Alexander Zverev vs. (AUS) Alex de Minaur
Zverev and de Minaur will be going head-to-head for the firsr time in their careers when they kick off the Davis Cup first-round tie between Germany and Australia on Friday afternoon in Brisbane. de Minaur has the home-court edge and he should be feeling especially good in Brisbane, where his incredible season-opening run began. The 18-year-old reached the Brisbane semifinals as a wild-card entry before going all the way to the Sydney final as a special exemption. Understandably, de Minaur finally ran out of gas against tougher competition and lost to Tomas Berdych in round one of the Australian Open.
This Davis Cup tie gives Zverev an important opportunity to bounce back from a yet another Grand Slam disappointment. The fifth-ranked German advanced to the third round Down Under before getting upset in five sets by eventual semifinalist Hyeon Chung. Zverev’s history in this team competition is mostly negative, as well, but he at least has plenty of experience playing big matches for his country. de Minaur, of course, has none. This may progress in similar fashion to the Aussie Open showdown between de Minaur and Berdych, with the youngster being competitive early before being outmatched by a bigger hitter.
Pick: Zverev in 4
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(GER) Jan-Lennard Struff vs. (AUS) Nick Kyrgios
Kyrgios and Struff will also be squaring off for the first time in their careers on Friday. Ranked 14th in the world, Kyrgios is the undisputed leader of the Australian team. Although he endured a major Davis Cup meltdown in 2015, he helped his country get back in the World Group for 2017 and then defeated Sam Querrey and John Isner in a quarterfinal victory over the United States. Kyrgios battled admirably in the semis against Belgium, beating Steve Darcis in five sets and falling in a tough four-setter to David Goffin.
The 22-year-old is coming off a fourth-round appearance at the Australian Open, where he fell to current world No. 4 Grigor Dimitrov in a high-quality contest. Struff, meanwhile, upset Berdych in the Doha opening round and picked up one victory in Melbourne before succumbing to eventual champion Roger Federer 6-4, 6-4, 7-6(4). The combination of Kyrgios’ stellar form this season and his recent motivation level in Davis Cup should see him treat the fans to a convincing win.
Pick: Kyrgios in 3
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