Nick Kyrgios[ starts his Western and Southern Open week on a great foot as he beats Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the opening round 7-5, 6-4.
The current Wimbledon runner-up was also the runner-up in Cincinnati back in 2017. The match lasted 90 minutes and Kyrgios appeared to struggle to find consistency at the start but he eventually triumphed over Fokina.
Hes a tricky player, hes so talented, hes got so many shots at his disposal, said Kyrgios after his match.
So I knew that I just had to serve well and then dictate as much as I can. His backhand is incredible. It was a tricky match.”
The conditions are a lot different here to Montreal, he added.
Its more lively, harder to hit the ball in, but I responded well and returned well today. Hopefully, I can keep it going.”
Kyrgios is coming off his win at the Citi Open. He also had a good run at the recently concluded National Bank Open.
You just have to continue to keep pushing and keep trying.
I didnt feel the best physically, a bit worn out with everything, but I just mentally played the big points well. I got a broken back, but I used that energy to push returns in and then force another break. Its not easy out here, so Im happy with that.
Match Highlights:
Kyrgios is next facing Taylor Fritz in the second round.
The American sailed through his first-round win against Sebastian Baez 6-1, 6-1.