Stan Wawrinka and Nick Kyrgios are set for an intriguing matchup on Wednesday in Madrid. Second-round action is also wrapping up with a showdown between Kei Nishikori and Fabio Fognini.
(4) Stan Wawrinka vs. Nick Kyrgios
Wawrinka and Kyrgios will be squaring off for the fourth time in their careers and for the fourth time in less than 12 months when they meet again in round two of the Mutua Madrid Open on Wednesday. The head-to-head series stands at 2-1 in favor of Wawrinka, but that hardly tells the full story. Their Montreal showdown last summer was, of course, one of the most contentious matches in recent tennis history. It ended in a retirement by Wawrinka with Kyrgios leading 6-7(8), 6-3, 4-0. Their next encounter–which involved no such controversy–also resulted in a retirement, this time by Kyrgios while he trailed 6-4, 3-0 in the Dubai semifinals earlier this season. Only their first contest was completed, with Wawrinka getting the job done 6-3, 6-4 on the grass courts of Queen’s Club.
Kyrgios ensured another installment of the rivalry when he took care of Guido Pella 7-6(7), 6-4 on Tuesday. The 21-year-old Australian is coming off a semifinal performance in Estoril, where he beat Inigo Cervantes and Borna Coric before falling to Nicolas Almagro. Wawrinka has played only seven matches since capturing the Dubai title. The fourth-ranked Swiss lost in the last 16 in Indian Wells, in his opening match at the Miami Masters, and to Rafael Nadal in the Monte-Carlo quarterfinals. Wawrinka has been far less than his best of late and does not have match under his belt like his opponent, so this could be competitive. But clay–even in Madrid–favors the reigning French Open champion, who will likely find the range in time to scrape past Kyrgios.
Pick: Wawrinka in 3
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Fabio Fognini vs. (6) Kei Nishikori
Nishikori and Fognini will be going head-to-head for just the second time in their careers and for the first time in more than five years. They previously faced each other at the 2011 Australian Open, where Nishikori prevailed 6-1, 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-4. The world No. 6 has been one of the best players on tour this year, with consecutive runner-up finishes in his last two tournaments (Miami and Barcelona). His 23-7 record also includes a title on the indoor hard courts of Memphis.
The same cannot be said of Fognini, who is 9-7 with only one trip past a quarterfinal. That came last week in Munich, where the 31st-ranked Italian got blown out by Philipp Kohlschreiber. Fognini rebounded to hammer Bernard Tomic 6-2, 6-4 on Tuesday. But going up against Tomic on clay amounts to little more than an automatic bye at the moment. A date with the sixth seed will be an exponentially tougher task. Conditions should be perfect for Nishikori, who almost won the Madrid title in 2014 (retired after leading Nadal in the final) and reached the semis last season.
Pick: Nishikori in 2
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