Nick Kyrgios’ quest for a first French Open title is still very much alive after recording a straight-sets win against Marco Cecchinato in the first round on Sunday. Kyrgios will look to keep the momentum going this coming Wednesday when he takes on Dutch star Igor Sijsling in the round of 64.
Read on below for an in-depth breakdown of this mouth-watering second-round matchup and while you’re at it, you can check out our preview of the 2016 Monaco Grand Prix.
Nick Kyrgios secured a place in the second round of the French Open with a tough 7-6 (6), 7-6 (6), 6-4 win over power server Marco Cecchinato at Roland Garros on Sunday. It was a gritty performance by the 21-year-old Australian who overcame a highly-disputed code violation in the opening set.
Kyrgios, who recorded his first career victory against Cecchinato, blasted 50 winners and won 81 percent of his first serve points. What proved to be the difference in the match, though, was Kyrgios’ highly-efficient play. He committed just 26 unforced errors against Cecchinato.
Next up for Kyrgios is a second-round clash with unseeded Igor Sijsling. This will be the first meeting between Kyrgios and Sijsling in the ATP Tour. For Kyrgios to beat Sijsling, he needs to improve on his play on the receiving end. Kyrgios converted just one of his 13 break point chances in the first round against Cecchinato.
Igor Sijsling booked a place in the second round of the French Open with a 6-1, 6-2, 7-6 (5) victory over Adrian Ungur on Sunday. It was a brilliant showing from Sijsling who needed one hour and 42 minutes to eliminate the gutsy Romanian.
With the victory, Sijsling is through to the second round of the French Open for the second time in his career. He will face his toughest test, though, in the round of 64, as he will lock horns with hotshot Nick Kyrgios. The Australian’s fiery temperament reared its ugly head once again in the opening round of this year’s French Open, as he became embroiled with another spat with chair umpire Carlos Ramos.
For Sijsling to record a massive upset against Kyrgios, he will need to continue his excellent return play. Sijsling converted seven of his 15 break point opportunities in the first-round win against Unger. It’s also paramount for Sijsling that he impose his aggressive style of play against Kyrgios for him to advance to the round of 32. He won 15 of his 23 net points against Unger in the previous round.
