Quarterfinal spots will be handed out in Mallorca on Wednesday, when Nick Kyrgios and Daniil Medvedev are taking the court. Medvedev is kicking off his campaign against Aslan Karatsev, while Kyrgios is facing Roberto Bautista Agut.
(SE) Nick Kyrgios vs. (5) Roberto Bautista Agut
Kyrgios endured a surprisingly tough opening match at the Mallorca Championships on Tuesday, but that could be just what the doctor ordered. The 27-year-old Australian looked extremely motivated when he could have folded in the wake of multiple deficits and came back to defeat Laslo Djere 5-7, 7-6(1), 7-6(1). Kyrgios isn’t going to want to let that effort go to waste as he looks to build on recent semifinal showings in Stuttgart and Halle.
Up next for the world No. 45 on Wednesday is Bautista Agut, who leads the head-to-head series 2-1. However, they have never faced each other on grass–a surface that favors Kyrgios even though Bautista Agut is the definition of an all-court player. The 34-year-old Spaniard is not in great form at the moment, either, as he is just 7-5 in his last 12 tournament matches dating back to late February. Bautista Agut managed to beat Taro Daniel 6-4, 7-6(4) in the Mallorca first round, but Kyrgios obviously represents a massive step up in competition level.
Pick: Kyrgios in 2
(1) Daniil Medvedev vs. Aslan Karatsev
Speaking of motivation, Medvedev’s should be similarly high in Mallorca even though he has no Wimbledon for which to prepare. The world No. 1 is coming off back-to-back runner-up performances in ‘s-Hertogenbosch and Halle, so he will be eager to go one step farther this week. Despite those two final setbacks, there is nothing wrong with starting your grass-court summer with a 7-2 record.
Wednesday also marks the fourth career contest between Medvedev and Karatsev. The head-to-head series stands at 3-0 in favor of Karatsev, but they have squared off only once since the start of 2017 (Karatsev cruised 6-2, 6-4 at the 2021 Rome Masters). Although the world No. 43 was hot for much of last year, he has cooled off in a big way this season. Karatsev is just 10-14 for his 2022 campaign even after defeating Jaume Munar 3-6, 6-1, 6-3 on Sunday. That is not a particularly strong grass-court result and nothing suggests he is in the kind of form that can challenge Medvedev.
Pick: Mevedev in 2
Kyrios in 2; Med in 2.
I read that NK pulled out with an ab pull.