Nick Kyrgios will ease Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal fears with one more win in Montreal

We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info

Nick Kyrgios will likely be one of the favourites heading into the US Open later this month after his win over Daniil Medvedev – and one more victory could end up helping Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. Kyrgios picked up his 14th win from his last 15 singles matches on Wednesday in beating Medvedev.

It’s just the second time Kyrgios has beaten a player ranked No 1 in the world having shocked the world eight years ago when he beat top-ranked Nadal at Wimbledon as a teenager. The victory also comes just a few days after his record feat at the Citi Open where he became the first player in the tournament’s history to win both the singles and doubles titles.

He is now favourite to carry that form over this week to pick up his second consecutive title and first ever win at a Masters 1000 event. His form at the Citi Open saw Kyrgios jump up the ATP rankings and on the verge of breaking into the top-32.

Being ranked inside the top 32 players heading into the US Open will guarantee Kyrgios a place as a seeded player in the draw. And he needs just one more win this week at the Montreal Masters to move into the seeded positions with just a few weeks until the US Open gets underway.

His ranking of No 37 in the world is the highest he’s been in two-and-a-half years. And a win over compatriot Alex de Minaur this evening will see him jump inside the top-32 when the rankings are released next Monday.

That could come as a blessing in disguise for both Djokovic and Nadal, who will avoid facing Kyrgios in the early rounds if the Australian is seeded. The earliest seeded players can face each other in a Grand Slam is the third round and all eyes will be on the men’s draw if Kyrgios holds onto his place inside the top-32.

Should he beat De Minaur, it’s all but certain Kyrgios will be seeded for the US Open given that he is also on the list to play the Cincinnati Masters next week for the first time since 2019. American tennis icon Andy Roddick now feels Kyrgios will be seen as one of the top three favourites to win the US Open.

“It’s a big, big deal to me that he goes into Washington, which is a pretty big event in the lead-up to the U.S. Open,” Roddick said on The Rich Eisen Show.

“Brutal conditions….To go through singles and doubles and not to tap out mentally or physically is a big, big sign. I think it puts him into the top two, maybe three, favourites for the US Open.”

Source: Read Full Article