Wimbledon, 3rd Round, Saturday, 02.07.2022
It would actually be a great semi-final, but instead we see the battle between Nick Kyrgios and Stefanos Tsitsipas already in the 3rd round of Wimbledon! So one of the two top players will have to go home early.
Word has spread to Betano that the Australian has already won a head-to-head duel this year.
I reveal in my Kyrgios Tsitsipas tip why I expect such a close affair that I can’t bet on a straight result under any circumstances!
Problems in the 1st round, a strong showing afterwards – both Nick Kyrgios and Stefanos Tsitsipas have improved considerably at Wimbledon from the first to the second match. But: Only for one of them will the path now lead to the last 16.
Nick Kyrgios is one of the so-called secret favourites. It all depends on how much he wants to get as far as possible. In preparation, he had already shown what he can do with two semi-finals.
In London, we have seen two typical performances of his kind so far. In the first round, he had to play Paul Jubb from Great Britain over five sets! As we know from Kyrgios, he could not control his emotions and even spat in the direction of the audience.
A few days later, these little escapades were forgotten. Against Filip Krajinovic, he was highly concentrated from the first second on – and lo and behold, then even a Nick Kyrgios can do it smoothly. 6-2, 6-3, 6-1, he was not even on court for 90 minutes.
He made eleven double faults in the first round, now it was only one. 25 aces in three quick sets, that almost reminds of the numbers of a John Isner. 88% won points on the first serve and 79% on the second, his service was outstanding.
Krajinovic didn’t have a single chance to break. I wonder if it’s because of these stats that German bettors are backing Kyrgios? At 1.75 to 2.00 – even though Tsitsipas is way ahead in the rankings – the odds are more in favour of the Australian.
Perhaps the fact that he leads the direct comparison 3:1 also plays a role here. In Halle a few weeks ago, Kyrgios took a 5-7, 6-2, 6-4, with all three wins coming in three sets; the only clear win between these two players was a 6-3, 6-4 by Tsitsipas at the 2019 Laver Cup.
So for the Greek, there is now a chance on Saturday to avenge his recent defeat. He has been able to improve in very small steps on the green grass. In Stuttgart and Halle, he was eliminated in the second match, but on Mallorca he snatched the title.
But with close results. Therefore, it was not surprising that his entry into Wimbledon was associated with difficulties, although he only had to play a qualifier from Switzerland.
7-6, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 against Alexander Ritschard, there was still plenty of room for improvement. He showed exactly that in the 2nd round against Steve Johnson. There was not much left of his insecurities, Tsitsipas won 6-2, 6-3, 7-5.
He only allowed one break in two opportunities for his opponent, 85% of points won on the first serve almost come close to the value of Kyrgios. Only in aces does he lag far behind his nearest competitor.
Tsitsipas has only reached the last 16 once in his career at Wimbledon, but Kyrgios has not done so since 2016. In any case, both have what it takes to go far in London.
My Kyrgios Tsitsipas tip
It’s a real shame that these two players are already meeting in the 3rd round. In my analysis, I could see a significant rise in both Tsitsipas and Kyrgios after the 1st round.
The serve speaks more for Kyrgios, the consistency more for the Greek. Already in Halle they were protagonists of a relatively even match. So I can’t imagine that the fifth direct duel will end smoothly on Saturday. That’s why I’m betting:
We’ll see at least four sets!
