Stuttgart R2 previews and predictions: Bublik vs. Murray, Basilashvili vs. Kyrgios

Andy Murray will be back in action at the Stuttgart 250 event on Thursday, set for a second-round showdown against Alexander Bublik. Nick Kyrgios is also unseeded but has a good chance of reaching the quarterfinals, as well. He faces Nikoloz Basilashvili.

Andy Murray vs. (7) Alexander Bublik

Bublik and Murray will be squaring off for the fourth time in their careers and for the third time already this season when they meet again in round two of the BOSS Open on Thursday. Murray prevailed 7-6(6), 6-4 on the indoor hard courts of Rotterdam before Bublik got revenge with a 7-6(9), 6-3 victory a few weeks later at the Indian Wells Masters. Overall the head-to-head series stands at 2-1 in favor of the Scot, who cruised 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 at Wimbledon in 2017.

Murray randomly played in Madrid (won two matches before withdrawing), but for the most part he skipped the clay-court swing. Grass obviously suits the 35-year-old much better and it did again on Monday, when he disposed of Christopher O’Connell 6-4, 6-3. Bublik got the best of grass-court specialist Denis Kudla 7-6(3), 7-5 in his Stuttgart opener. This a great matchup on the green stuff, but Murray is the more focused and motivated player right now and his superior returning ability could make the difference in one or two tiebreakers.

Pick: Murray in 2

Nick Kyrgios vs. (5) Nikoloz Basilashvili

Kyrgios skipped the entire European clay-court swing, so he his well-rested for his much-preferred grass-court season. It is off to a solid start, as the 27-year-old defeated Jiri Lehecka 7-6(3), 6-3 on Tuesday. Interestingly, grass is the only surface on which Kyrgios has never reached an ATP final. However, that can be attributed in part to the relative lack of grass-court tournaments. The world No. 78 is a former quarterfinalist at Wimbledon and he has been to the fourth round at the All-England Club on two other occasions.

Basilashvili is a horrendous 9-17 in 2022 even after finishing off a rain-delayed 7-5, 6-3 defeat of Lorenzo Musetti on Wednesday. The 26th-ranked Georgian may be an all-court player, but clay is slightly better for him because it gives him time to set up his forehand–with which he uses heavy topspin. On anything other than clay, this is a matchup that favors Kyrgios. The Aussie dominated their only previous encounter 6-1, 6-2 five years ago in Beijing and another straight-setter should be in the cards.

Pick: Kyrgios in 2