[sc:AUS15-250 ]Aussie bad boy Nick Kyrgios is set to enter the third round of the Australian Open, but not without some controversy in his previous outing. He’ll need to get his wits about him if he wishes to advance further into the tournament as he takes on sixth seed Tomas Berdych. The Czech has been dominant in his two matches in the tournament thus far, but could be up for a big test against the young lion, Kyrgios.
Can experience trump the streaking Kyrgios? Read on as we check out this interesting clash in the year’s first Grand Slam. If you’re hungry for more tennis action, then check out our complete previews for the Novak Djokovic vs. Andreas Seppi and Roger Federer vs. Grigor Dimitrov matches.
Tomas Berdych was all business in the first two rounds of the Australian Open, beating Yuki Bhambri (7-5, 6-1, 6-2) and Mirza Basic (6-4, 6-0, 6-3) both in straight sets. The tournament’s sixth seed has been absolutely dominant on serve, winning 92 percent of his first serve points. He’s fired off 28 aces across his first two matches at the tournament.
[sc:Other240banner ]The Czech has been dominant and all, but he faces another strong server in the form of Australia’s Nick Kyrgios. Berdych has shown that he’s also a strong returner. He has won 48 percent of his return points through the second round of the Australian Open, though his opponents don’t really compare much to Kyrgios.
This match will be Berdych’s first outing against the young Australian. He holds an experience edge after making the semifinals in each of his last two appearances at this tournament. He’s also reached at least the quarterfinals in five straight years.
Berdych is due for another strong outing in Melbourne. The Australian Open is his winningest Grand Slam, going 34-12 in his career.
Betting on Nick Kyrgios
It took two hours for a three-set (6-4, 7-5, 7-6) victory over Pablo Cuevas, but Nick Kyrgios is on to the third round of the Australian Open. Aside from Cuevas, he faced a faulty wardrobe (his shorts) and a slow-starting linesman, who was overruled in three separate calls. But the Aussie marched on, putting 65 percent of his first serves into play and winning 79 percent of his first serve points.
Kyrgios rattled off 19 aces against Cuevas to showcase his power. He also had a few tricks up his sleeve on the return, winning four of six break point opportunities. The young Aussie hot shot will need to be at his best on the return; he faces a pretty powerful player when he takes on Tomas Berdych.
Kyrgios has had plenty of trouble against powerful servers. He’s struggled on the return, winning just 33 percent of return points against Cuevas. This will be the youngster’s first match against Berdych. If he can’t contain Berdych’s serve, then he’ll need to keep up his own service game. He’s hit 64 aces in his last four matches combined.
Kyrgios has won five of his last eight matches on hard court.
