Kyrgios & Murray To Meet In Winston-Salem Blockbuster
Nick Kyrgios and Andy Murray will clash in a first-round blockbuster at next week’s Winston-Salem Open, which will be played from 22-28 August.
Former World No. 1 Murray leads the pair’s ATP Head2Head series 5-1. Kyrgos’ only win came in their most recent match three years ago at the Queen’s Club, where the Scot made his return following his first hip surgery.
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When ATPTour.com asked Murray this week which players he finds most entertaining to watch, the 34-year-old mentioned Kyrgios, but with a caveat.
“I like watching [Nick] Kyrgios when he’s into it. When he’s not into it, I don’t enjoy that at all,” Murray said. “But when he’s into it, I really enjoy watching him.”
Murray showed signs of good form in Cincinnati, where he pushed Miami champion Hubert Hurkacz in a tight two-setter in the second round. This will be Kyrgios’ fifth tournament of the year outside Australia. The winner will play another fans’ favourite in the second round: 13th seed Frances Tiafoe.
Pablo Carreno Busta, who lost against Daniil Medvedev on Friday in the Cincinnati quarter-finals, is the top seed. The 2016 Winston-Salem champion will begin his tournament against Moldovan Radu Albot or South Korean Soonwoo Kwon.
Second seed David Goffin, the 2017 Nitto ATP Finals runner-up, will open against Australian James Duckworth or Brazilian Thiago Monteiro, and third seed Daniel Evans will face Spaniard Feliciano Lopez or a qualifier.
Benoit Paire, the 12th seed, is fresh off a resurgence in Cincinnati, where he made the quarter-finals and pushed Andrey Rublev in a tough three-setter. The Frenchman will play a countryman in his opener: Arthur Rinderknech or Gilles Simon.
Other players to watch in the field include #NextGenATP stars Carlos Alcaraz and Lorenzo Musetti. Alcaraz, the 15th seed, will clash against American Steve Johnson or a qualifier, and Musetti will play Argentine Federico Coria.