Roger Federer will begin his week as the No. 1 seed in Madrid against Nick Kyrgios on Wednesday. Marin Cilic and Fernando Verdasco are also aiming for a place in the last 16.
(1) Roger Federer vs. Nick Kyrgios
Federer and Kyrgios will be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers when they clash in the second round of the Mutua Madrid Open on Wednesday. An in-form Kyrgios secured his spot in this matchup by trouncing Daniel Gimeno-Traver 6-2, 6-3 in his opener. The 20-year-old Aussie has surged to No. 35 in the world thanks in part to a quarterfinal run at the Australian Open and a runner-up performance last week on the clay courts of Estoril.
Federer is also coming off a productive week but will be well-rested after earning a first-round bye in Madrid. Although the second-ranked Swiss struggled at times in Istanbul, he managed to capture the title after beating Pablo Cuevas in straight sets on Sunday. Federer took a break after losing the Indian Wells final to Novak Djokovic before returning in Monte-Carlo–where he dropped his second match to Gael Monfils. The 33-year-old is by no means playing dominant tennis right now, but Kyrgios has been mostly beating up on inferior competition. He has not defeated anyone ranked better than 23rd in the world since his 2014 Wimbledon upset of Rafael Nadal.
Pick: Federer in 2
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Fernando Verdasco vs. (9) Marin Cilic
This is just the fourth tournament of the season for Cilic, who contested his sixth match of the 2015 campaign on Tuesday in Madrid. The 2014 U.S. Open champion showed encouraging signs in a 7-5, 6-1 victory over recent Bucharest runner-up Jiri Vesely. Cilic, who has been hampered by a shoulder injury, picked up two wins in Monte-Carlo but those were sandwiched by opening loss in Indian Wells and Barcelona.
Up next for the 10th-ranked Croat is Verdasco, with the head-to-head series standing at 5-4 in Cilic’s favor. Their most recent meeting also came in the second round of a Masters 1000 tournament–Cilic got the job done 7-6(6), 7-6(5) last summer in Cincinnati in what was their seventh consecutive showdown on a hard court. They have never faced each other on clay. Verdasco advanced on Tuesday in Madrid with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 win over fellow Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. Thus the world No. 38 put a much-needed end to a three-match losing streak. Home-court advantage may help Verdasco, but Cilic finally appears to be rounding into form and conditions in high altitude will suit his game.
Pick: Cilic in 3
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Perish the thought. If the obnoxious thug Kyrgios is the future of tennis that will be the moment when I retire from being a fan of tennis. I would rather play scrabble on line.
agree…
second that…
ed,
It’s good to see you posting here. I absolutely agree with you! This guy is way out of control. Llayani told him off when he kept mouthing off after a bad call that was corrected. On the tennis channel, the usually laid back Paul Annacone called him out for his boorish behavior.
This guy is so full of himself without having done anything yet in this sport. He’s obnoxious and arrogant and just unpleasant to watch.
You know, he is a thug! Well said!
As for me, if he is the future of tennis then I will be playing games like crosswords, scrabble and yahtzee online!
nny: It’s good to be back. This is the first time in several months I have been able to watch any tennis on a consistent basis and catch up with all the Grandstand gossip. I was driving home from southern Spain after my annual strip to my sister when I got a call she had suffered a stroke. I turned straight round and drove back 800km non stop to get to her. The doctors are hopeful in time she will make a full recovery but for the time being she needs somebody to be with her full time so I will be to and fro sharing the job with her various friends.
dear ed,
best wishes for a full recovery for your sister. Having family and friends help out a lot will make all the difference as you know while the brain rewires itself as needed.
Welcome back ed, Best wishes to you and your sister.
Well I think tennis needs villains and I’m not a fan of the personality itself, his tennis is something else.
If he matures emotionally, well, look out. He has all of the physical weapons.
Not a fan so will be fun to cheer against him.
He is definitely a tennis thug.
I didn’t see Nick burning cars or looting in Baltimore. Why call the guy a thug? We don’t know him. He’s young and immature but no need for that label.
Ed, I hope your sister makes a ful recovery but make sure that you try not to get too stressed about it. I will keep you and your family in my prayers.
However, looking forward to a more improved clay tennis season!!!