Madrid R2 previews and picks: Federer vs. Kyrgios, Cilic vs. Verdasco

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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