Nick Kyrgios will have to beat three Americans in as many days to reach the Citi Open quarter-finals. After easing past Marcos Giron in the opening round, the 2019 Washington champion scored a 6-3, 6-4 decision in an entertaining evening match against 14th seed Tommy Paul on Wednesday.

That sets up a Round-of-16 showdown with fourth seed Reilly Opelka, who leads the pair’s ATP Head2Head 2-0.

“I always seem to find my best tennis when I play Tommy,” said Kyrgios, who also beat Paul in Houston in April. “I played pretty two flawless matches from a return and serve standpoint.”

The Australian saved all four break points he faced against Paul, who used his athleticism and consistency to play his part in a crowd-pleasing match under the D.C. lights. The American created three of those break points at 2-2 in the second set as he began to pick up the Kyrgios serve, but could not edge in front.

Wimbledon finalist Kyrgios did not create a break point in the second set until the final game, when his third break of the match closed it out after one hour and 25 minutes. He also earned a straight-sets win against Marcos Giron on Tuesday, claiming a win in his first singles match since his first major final.

“I feel as if all these matches are so crucial. As I didn’t get any [Pepperstone ATP Rankings] points from Wimbledon, I’m trying to stay locked in,” the World No. 63 added in his post-match presser. “But in a way, it’s good because I’m still putting in some really good performances.”

Opelka hit 28 aces in a a 6-7(6), 6-4, 6-4 win against countryman Denis Kudla. The fourth seed saved an early break point in the second set before winning 19 straight points on serve to take set. He produced three more love service holds in the final set after taking command with an instant break.

The American defeated Kyrgios last season in Toronto and again this year in the Houston semi-finals. He has not lost a match on home soil since Miami and owns a 14-3 record in the U.S. this season with titles in Dallas and Houston.

Felix Auger-Aliassime used a quick start and a finishing flurry to open his account with a win at the Abierto de Tenis Mifel in Los Cabos. Playing against home favourite Alex Hernandez on Wednesday, the second seed denied the Mexican wild card a famous victory by taking a 6-3, 7-5 decision.

The Canadian won the first three games of the match but twice found himself down a break in the second set as Hernandez gave the Stadium CSC crowd plenty to cheer about. The World No. 521 was aided by his opponent’s 58 per cent first-serve percentage, though Auger-Aliassime dominated when he did connect on his first delivery, winning those points at an 83 per cent clip (35/42).

From 2-5 down in the second set, Auger-Aliassime won the last five games of the match — but not before a nervy final game in which he saved two break points after leading 30/0.

The victory sees the Canadian advance to his 10th tour-level quarter-final of 2022, equalling his personal best for a single season (2021). He will next face seventh seed Thanasi Kokkinakis or Steve Johnson.

More to follow…

The sixth ATP Masters 1000 event of the season will see the ATP Tour’s best compete at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers.

Here’s what you need to know ahead of the tournament in Montreal:

When is the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers?

The 2022 National Bank Open Presented by Rogers will be held from 8 August-14 August. The hard-court ATP Masters 1000 tournament, established in 1881, will take place at Stade IGA in Montreal, Canada. The tournament director is Eugene Lapierre.

Who is playing at the 2022 National Bank Open Presented by Rogers?

The Montreal field will feature five-time champion Rafael Nadal, reigning titlist Daniil Medvedev, Carlos Alcaraz and more.

When is the draw for the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers?

The Montreal draw will be made Friday 5 August at 4 p.m.

What is the schedule for the Canadian ATP Masters 1000 event?

*Qualifying: Saturday 6 August – Sunday 7 August starting at 11 a.m.
*Main Draw: Monday 8 August – Friday, 12 August sessions starting at 12 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
* Saturday 13 August, sessions starting at 12 p.m. and 6 p.m.
*Doubles Final: Sunday 14 August at 1:30 p.m.,
*Singles Final: Sunday 14 August not before 4 p.m.

*View on official website

What is the prize money and points for Montreal?

The prize money for the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers is $5,926,545 and the Total Financial Commitment is $6,573,785.

SINGLES
Winner: $915,295 / 1,000 points
Finalist: $499,830 / 600 points
Semi-finalist: $273,320 / 360 points
Quarter-finalist: $149,085 / 180 points
Round of 16: $79,745 / 90 points
Round of 32: $42,760 / 45 points
Round of 56: $23,690 / 10 points

DOUBLES ($ per team)
Winner: $280,830 / 1,000 points
Finalist: $152,550 / 600 points
Semi-finalist: $83,790 / 360 points
Quarter-finalist: $46,230 / 180 points
Round of 16: $25,420 / 90 points
Round of 32: $13,870 / 0 points

How can I watch Montreal?

ATP Tennis Streaming Online – Watch Tennis Live (tennistv.com)
TV Schedule – Montreal

How can I follow the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers?

Hashtag: #NBO22
Facebook: Omnium Banque Nationale
Twitter: @obnmontreal
Instagram: @obnmontreal

Who won the last edition of the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers in 2021?

Daniil Medvedev won the 2021 National Bank Open Presented by Rogers title with a 6-4, 6-3 victory against Reilly Opelka in the championship match (Read & Watch). Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury lifted the doubles trophy, defeating Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic 6-3, 4-6, 10-3 in the final (Read More).

Who holds the Canada Masters record for most titles, oldest champion, youngest champion and more?

Most Titles, Singles: Ivan Lendl (6)
Most Titles, Doubles: Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan (5)
Oldest Champion: Rafael Nadal, 33, in 2019
Youngest Champion: Michael Chang, 18, in 1990
Highest-Ranked Champion: No. 1 Bjorn Bjorg in 1979, John McEnroe in 1984-85, Ivan Lendl in 1987-89, Andre Agassi in 1995, Roger Federer in 2004 & 2006, Novak Djokovic in 2011 & 2016, Rafael Nadal in 2018
Lowest-Ranked Champion: No. 95 Mikael Pernfors in 1993
Last Home Champion: None
Most Match Wins: Ivan Lendl (57)

View Who Is Playing, Past Champions, Seeds, Points & Prize Money Breakdown

Three years ago Andy Murray and Jamie Murray defeated Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin in the first round of the Citi Open. On Wednesday, the Frenchmen earned their revenge.

Mahut and Roger-Vasselin eliminated Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares 6-3, 6-7(7), 10-4 to reach the quarter-finals in Washington. They will next play Nick Kyrgios and Jack Sock.

The Frenchmen have claimed seven tour-level titles together, most recently lifting the trophy in Tokyo in 2019. 

In other doubles action in the United States’ capital, fourth seeds Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek defeated Emil Ruusuvuori and Luke Saville 6-4, 6-4 to set a clash against Daniel Evans and John Peers.

Canada’s Denis Shapovalov was known to have a stuffed animal wolf in his player box in his early days on the ATP Tour. But on Wednesday at the Citi Open, he had to contend with J.J. Wolf across the net.

The unseeded American won the battle of 23-year-olds 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-3 to advance to the Washington third round, breaking serve on five of seven chances. Despite hitting three aces to Shapovalov’s 20, Wolf was more successful on both first and second serve and posted a strong 81 per cent (46/57) win rate on his first delivery.

Fuelled by the home support, the former Ohio State Buckeye also found success at net, winning 13 of his 16 approaches in the two-hour, 17-minute contest. The victory sets up a meeting against ninth seed Holger Rune for a place in the quarter-finals.

Entering the ATP 500 event as a newly minted member of the Top 100 for the first time, Wolf is up nine spots to No. 90 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings this week. With a 6-4 record on the season, he has twice before reached the Round of 16 on the ATP Tour this year (Acapulco, Houston). He also picked up wins at the ATP Masters 1000s in Indian Wells and Miami after qualifying for both events.

Wolf was one of 10 home-nation favourites in action Wednesday in Washington, including three all-American matchups. Third seed Taylor Fritz and Sebastian Korda also advanced in early action with a pair of comfortable victories.

Playing in his first match since his heartbreaking loss to Rafael Nadal in the Wimbledon quarter-finals, Fritz was a 6-4, 6-3 winner against Alexei Popyrin, scoring a late break in each set against the Aussie. Fritz did not face a break point until he saved two from 15/40 to serve out the victory.

The American is seeking his third title of the season (Indian Wells, Eastbourne) in just his third Washington appearance. He improved to 17-5 on hard courts this season with his opening win and faces 16th seed Daniel Evans next.

Korda earned his second straight-sets win in as many days with a 6-1, 6-4 decision against 12th seed Sebastian Baez. The American won the first five games of the match then made his move in the seventh game of set two before saving a pair of late break points. Fifth seed Grigor Dimitrov awaits in the Round of 16.

On Wednesday evening, 13th seed Maxime Cressy stormed back against Jack Sock to earn a 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 victory to gain a measure of revenge after Sock’s four-set win in the Wimbledon second round. He will next face top seed Andrey Rublev.

In the two other all-American matchups, 10th seed Frances Tiafoe takes on Christopher Eubanks and fourth seed Reilly Opelka faces Denis Kudla. Tommy Paul, seeded 14th, is set to take on Nick Kyrgios in the D.C. evening session.

Emil Ruusuvuori lost the first set of his Citi Open run 1-6 against Mackenzie McDonald. The Finnish star has not looked back since.

After rallying past McDonald on Tuesday, Ruusuvuori upset second seed Hubert Hurkacz 6-4, 7-6(3) on Wednesday to reach the third round at the ATP 500 event in Washington. The 23-year-old saved all four break points he faced against the Pole to triumph after one hour and 44 minutes.

“I just was able to hang in there in the first couple games. He had an early break point, but then I was able to keep that service game and give myself a chance to break him and I was able to use it and then just try to keep my own serve,” Ruusuvuori said in his on-court interview. “I didn’t have many chances until the [second-set] tie-break and then I got a look at a couple second serves and [made] a couple deep returns, so that gave me the chance.”

Hurkacz battled hard until the end, relying on all the skills in his all-court game, even winning a point in the second set with a backhand skyhook and trying to pump up the crowd with a forehand passing shot. But Ruusuvuori  won back-to-back points on his opponent’s serve late in the tie-break and that proved decisive.

“I just tried to hang in there and tried to stay as tough as [I] can,” Ruusuvuori said. “[The] long rallies, they really drain you and you start to feel dizzy during the points, so [it was] very tough. But it’s a part of the game during this period of the year.”

Ruusuvuori climbed to No. 43 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, one spot off his career high. He will next play 15th seed Aslan Karatsev or Swede Mikael Ymer.

With a bit of help from the crowd, Nick Kyrgios began his Citi Open campaign with victory on Tuesday, when he overcame Marcos Giron in straight sets.

The Australian lifted the trophy in Washington 2019 and during that run, he frequently asked fans where to serve on match point, with the entertaining strategy proving effective.

Three years on and in front of a packed crowd at the ATP 500 event, the 27-year-old was at it again, engaging with a supporter in the front row on match point to help him finish the job against Giron.

“In 2019 I was just doing that on match point, just asking someone in the crowd. I think it’s a cool experience for someone that’s paid money to come watch you play and potentially to go home with that memory,” Kyrgios said in his post-match press conference.

“If it’s a young kid or an older lady like today, I think that’s something that’s pretty cool. I wish I had that experience when I was watching tennis matches.”

Moments prior…

“Where do you want me to serve it?”

It had to be done 😂 @NickKyrgios https://t.co/ybozSmGSpu pic.twitter.com/o8Yl1X7xJl

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 3, 2022

Kyrgios was competing in singles for the first time since he enjoyed a run to his maiden Grand Slam final at Wimbledon last month.

The World No. 63, who lost in the first round in Washington last year, admitted he was happy with his return to Tour and feels his tennis is in better shape compared to 12 months ago.

“Today I just came out pretty nervous. Obviously had won this tournament before, but I wanted to make sure I had a really good performance this year,” Kyrgios said. “I have been training really hard. I just feel like I’m in such a better place with my tennis. Mentally as well. I wanted to show that to the fans.

“Last year was a really poor performance from me. I just really wanted to make sure I came out and gave them a good show, just to redeem myself. Just looking around the crowd, [it is] such an amazing tournament.”

Kyrgios now holds a 22-7 record on the season and will look to improve that when he plays Tommy Paul in the second round.

#NextGenATP American Brandon Nakashima continued his love affair with the Abierto de Tenis Mifel on Tuesday, moving past Japanese qualifier Kaichi Uchida 7-6(1), 6-2 to reach the second round in Los Cabos.

The 20-year-old enjoyed a run to his maiden tour-level final in Mexico last year and quickly looked at home at the ATP 250 event against Uchida, pulling the World No. 175 around the court with his explosive hitting to advance after one hour and 56 minutes.

Nakashima, currently seventh in the Pepperstone ATP Race To Milan, now holds a 7-0 record against players outside of the Top 100 this season. The World No. 61, who is aiming to win his maiden tour-level title this week, will next play Australian qualifier Max Purcell.

Mexican wild card Alex Hernandez overcame Colombian lucky loser Nicolas Barrientos 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 to capture his first tour-level win.

The 23-year-old, who lost in the first round on debut in Acapulco in February, is the first Mexican player to win a singles match in Los Cabos, improving the overall record to 1-7. The World No. 521 will next face second-seeded Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime.

Spaniard Radu Albot downed Feliciano Lopez 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-3 to improve his strong record at the hard-court event. The 32-year-old, who advanced to the semi-finals on debut in 2019, will meet Jason Kubler in the second round after the Australian defeated eighth seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-1 in their first ATP Head2Head meeting.

Australian Jordan Thompson eliminated Germany’s Yannick Hanfmann 6-3, 6-0 to set a second-round clash against fourth seed Miomir Kecmanovic, while Facundo Bagnis defeated American Ernesto Escobedo 6-3, 6-1.

The Argentine, who is up to No. 103 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, will take on Ricardas Berankis in the second round.

A trip to the Citi Open was a home run in more ways than one for Major League Baseball star Francisco Lindor.

The popular shortstop for the New York Mets met several ATP Tour stars at the ATP 500 event early Tuesday, including Tommy Paul, Hubert Hurkacz and Jack Sock.

“It was really cool meeting him. I haven’t met many baseball players, but I told him I might go to a game if I have time,” Paul said. “I actually played baseball a little bit when I was really young, same position as him, so it was cool. I’ll probably pay attention to him playing a little bit more now.”

^{Lindor chats with Frances Tiafoe in Washington. Photo Credit: Richard Kessler/Citi Open}
Lindor also bumped into Frances Tiafoe, whom he met at last year’s US Open.

“We’ve been cool for a little bit and kept in touch,” Tiafoe said. “The main thing I like about him is I like his swag, how cool he is and how he supports players in other sports.”

After supporting the tennis stars with his visit early in the day, Lindor put his own uniform on in the evening. The star hit a home run in the Mets’ game against the Washington Nationals.