French veteran Richard Gasquet will take the court against flamboyant Aussie Nick Kyrgios as the second round wraps up at the Rakuten Open in Tokyo on Thursday. Kyrgios beat Shenzhen champion Yoshihito Nishioka in round one.
Richard Gasquet has endured a well-publicized (in France) struggle with the top players. His combined head-to-head record against Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic is three matches won and 62 matches lost. But against players ranked lower than he is, Gasquet is much more effective. He owns a 5-2 record over Nick Kyrgios and he won their last encounter on the clay courts of Roland Garros in 2016. The Frenchman even captured a title this year on the lawns of s’Hertogenbosch, as well.
Kyrgios is the world No. 27, and he also owns a title in 2018–which came at the very start of the season on his home turf of Brisbane. In fact, Gasquet’s and Kyrgios’ tennis resumés for the season are similar, with mediocre results punctuated by the occasional deep run. Both men posted straight-set wins in the Tokyo first round, but Kyrgios had to work harder for his.
Though Gasquet has the advantage in the head-to-head series, the outcome of the match is likely to rest on Kyrgios’ racket. The Aussie’s game vacillates wildly from inspired to disinterested. If he plays with the intensity of which he is sometimes capable, he will be more than able to power Gasquet off the court. If not, the veteran’s consistency will win out.
Cheryl pick: Gasquet in 2
Ricky pick: Gasquet in 3
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I was sleeping – did anyone see this match?
I saw — enough — of it. Kyrgios looked like he was sleeping too. Or maybe wished he was. I believe the match did set some sort of speed record. NK was hitting aces and spaces. More spaces than aces which is why he lost the tb’s.
Ya. An hour, 16 is pretty impressive for 26 games and 2 tiebreakers. Every time I watch Kyrgios play, I always think, “Geez. WHat’s the rush?”
Thanks, Ramara.