Cincinnati Masters, 1st Round, Tuesday, 16.08.2022
It was a tournament with strengths and weaknesses, but overall it showed everyone: you always have to have Nick Kyrgios on your mind when choosing favourites! Although the Australian was eliminated in the quarter-finals this time, he once again thrilled his fans.
How will he now present himself in Cincinnati shortly before the US Open? He already had a tough opponent in the first round.
Nevertheless, he is far ahead at Bwin – and I also see a clear winner in my Kyrgios Davidovich Fokina tip!
The good news first: After a long time Nick Kyrgios is back among the best 30 players in the world. The jump to 28th place was overdue and shows how strong the 27-year-old has been playing for months.
We also watched his progress closely. The Wimbledon final, the doubles title in Atlanta and finally the doubles triumph in Washington – it got stronger match by match.
When Carlos Alcaraz and Stefanos Tsitsipas were out in Montreal, the role of favourite passed to Kyrgios. Even more so when he put Daniil Medvedev in his place. But in the quarter-finals, surprisingly for many, he was eliminated.
6-7, 7-6, against Hubert Hurkacz it was a match of equals. In the decisive third set, however, Kyrgios ran out of steam and was defeated 1-6. A small lapse or an indication that the strong Australian is a bit tired?
Five years ago, Kyrgios reached the final in Cincinnati. Back then, he beat Grigor Dimitrov and Rafael Nadal, among others! Few people believe that he will now have difficulties in the 1st round against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
Betano only manages a 1.20 for a win, while the Spaniard has to deal with an average 4.40. And that, although he is only nine places behind Kyrgios in the rankings.
In Wimbledon, the 23-year-old was able to defeat Hubert Hurkacz, but then his form curve dropped significantly. Most recently in Montreal, he won the first set 6-1 against Diego Schwartzman in round 1.
Everything looked like a successful evening, but when the following sets were lost 3-6, 4-6, Davidovich Fokina moved on to Cincinnati. Especially on his own serve he had problems lately.
After all, he used four of twelve break chances against Schwartzman, unlikely that he will even get half of them against Kyrgios. But: The Australian was unable to make use of any of the six he had against Hurkacz.
Davidovich Fokina has only made two appearances in Cincinnati, reaching the 2nd round would already mean his best performance. Consistency is still a foreign word for him, so it remains to be seen what he will bring to the court in the first direct duel with Kyrgios.
My Kyrgios Davidovich Fokina Tip
Nick Kyrgios’ weak third set was quite surprising in Montreal against Hubert Hurkacz, will he struggle in Cincinnati? His performances have been strong for months, there are hardly any lapses.
In my analysis of Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, I could hardly find any indications that lead me to the conclusion that he can really pull something off against Kyrgios. The Spaniard’s service alone is clearly below that of his opponent.
Even if he can make a stand on good days, I think Kyrgios is just too consistent at the moment. He should have come to terms with the lost match against Hurkacz, and a good result in Cincinnati is immensely important for the upcoming US Open. That’s why I’m going for the following tip:
Kyrgios beats Davidovich Fokina in two sets!
