A star is born Down Under. 19-year old Nick Kyrgios has made his second Grand Slam quarterfinal – and the first in his home country – after a dramatic five-set thriller in the Australian Open round of 16.
Kyrgios will be a major underdog when he faces off with three-time Aussie Open finalist Andy Murray for a spot in the final four, but the young Aussie has risen to the occasion before. Will the hometown crowd inspire the terrific teen to another huge win? Read on below for our preview of this exciting quarterfinal.
The winner of Murray vs. Kyrgios will face off with the winner of Tomas Berdych vs. Rafael Nadal in the semis. Check out our preview of that matchup here.
Another Grand Slam, another trip to the quarterfinals for Andy Murray. The World No. 6 reached the last eight for the 16th-consecutive Grand Slam with a tough 6-4, 6-7, 6-3, 7-5 over “Baby Fed,” Grigor Dimitrov.
[sc:Other240banner ]Murray was far from his sharpest against Dimitrov. He dropped his first set of the tournament and his serve was broken four times. But the Brit countered with seven break points of his own, his third-straight game with seven breaks. He’s the tournament leader in break points with 25 in four matches.
Murray’s return game has been outstanding in this tournament. He’s accumulated 106 return points from first serves and 100 points from second serves, both ranked inside the top three in the tournament. That excellent return game should allow Murray to control Nick Kyrgios’ strong serve.
The two-time Grand Slam winner will also have a significant advantage in terms of experience over his much younger opponent. Look for Murray to capitalize on any miscues from the risk-taking teenager. Kyrgios committed 74 unforced errors in his round of 16 matchup with Andreas Seppi.
Betting on Nick Kyrgios
Never count Nick Kyrgios out. The 19-year old Australian was two sets down Andreas Seppi – the man who ousted Roger Federer in the previous round – but he roared back to win the next three sets and the match, 5-7, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(5), 8-6.
With that win, Kyrgios became the first Aussie to reach the quarterfinal stage of the country’s Grand Slam since Lleyton Hewitt 10 years ago. He also became the youngest man to reach the last eight since 1990.
Kyrgios still plays like a teenager. He makes questionable decisions and his play can often border on reckless. But he’s also very confident in his own abilities, which contributed greatly to his come-from-behind win. And he showed composure well beyond his years in the crucial fourth and fifth sets, which he both won via tiebreaker.
Despite his age, Kyrgios is no stranger to the big stage. Kyrgios made headlines last year when he reached the quarterfinal of Wimbledon on his debut in the All-England Club and defeated then-World No. 1 Rafael Nadal along the way. He’ll have a hometown crowd cheering him on this time around.
Kyrgios fired 37 aces against Nadal, a key component to his eventual victory. Kyrgios’ serve has been spot on again Down Under; he currently leads the tournament with 97 in four matches. Kyrgios will need his serve to be impeccable against Murray, who has one of the deadliest returns in the game today.
Writer’s Prediction
Kyrgios takes a set, but Murray prevails over the crowd favorite in four sets. Create a betting account now to cash in on all the top action Down Under.
