ATP Tournament in Mallorca, Round of 16, Wednesday, 22.6.2022
A start made to measure? Not quite for Nick Kyrgios. The co-favourite for the title at the ATP tournament in Majorca only advanced with a bit of luck and now has to make up for his poor performance against a much stronger opponent.
In my Kyrgios Bautista Agut tip I reveal why I still recommend betting on the Australian!
It was probably a classic work victory that Nick Kyrgios managed in the 1st round in Mallorca. He had gone into the match against Laslo Djere as the clear favourite, so it was all the more surprising what major problems became apparent.
Nick Kyrgios, who had beaten Stefanos Tsitsipas and Pablo Carreno Busta in Halle and was only eliminated in the semi-finals against Hubert Hurkacz without a break, was not yet on the court on Monday.
He won 5-7, 7-6, 7-6 in the end, that was close! But one has to compliment the eccentric Kyrgios for losing only one point in both tiebreaks.
24 aces were top, but the fact that he gave Djere the opportunity to break eight times was surprising. In Halle, it was only slightly more in the entire tournament. Nevertheless, the Australian only gave up one serve in the end.
Once again, he was able to rely on his own service, albeit with slight deductions. Can this also work in the round of 16 against Roberto Bautista Agut? Kyrgios is ten centimetres taller than his opponent and wants to exploit this height advantage.
It has been seven years since his first and only victory in three direct duels. A long time, especially because Roberto Bautista Agut has cut a much better figure in the recent past.
Two years ago, he won outright 6-4, 6-1, and at the US Open 2021, he even humiliated Kyrgios with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-0. A classic Kyrgios, who is really up for any result.
Bautista Agut is 25 places ahead of Kyrgios in the world rankings, but will still find himself in the role of underdog on Wednesday.
The Spaniard, however, reeled off his opener in Mallorca a little more confidently than Kyrgios, managing a 6-4, 7-6 win over Taro Daniel. There’s no question that this match could have been overturned as well, both players left some energy behind.
Daniel was only allowed to break once, although Bautista Agut does not serve with as much pressure as Kyrgios, his service game is good. He only served four aces, but his serves were very accurate.
So the crucial question will be: Is the 34-year-old in good enough form? In Halle, he benefited from a struggling Marton Fucsovics, then narrowly advanced against Tallon Griekspoor.
In the quarter-finals against Daniil Medvedev he finally lost. It was the comeback of the Spaniard, who had to take a break for almost one and a half months. How fit he is will therefore be shown tonight against Nick Kyrgios at the latest.
My Kyrgios Bautista Agut tip
What face will Nick Kyrgios show us in the last 16 in Mallorca? Of course, I know how difficult it is to assess the Australian. The problems in the first round were not on everyone’s mind.
But what is really impressive at the moment is his serve. It is crisp and precise, garnished with many aces. This is exactly where I see the decisive advantage against a solid, but not strong Roberto Bautista Agut. My tip is therefore:
Kyrgios wins against Bautista Agut!
