ATP Abierto Mexicano Telcel
Acapulco, Mexico
Quarterfinal picks
Stan Wawrinka over Nick Kyrgios
Wow! That’s all I can say after watching the sane Nick Kyrgios upset Rafael Nadal last night 3-6, 7-6, 7-6. The match started out pretty much as predicted with the players roughly even in the first set and Kyrgios calling a physio on the court when he reportedly “didn’t feel well”. No medicine was administered, so it appeared that the unpredictable Aussie was just in his “bad place”. Rumors circulated that the Aussie was suffering from food poisoning, as a few other players were, and as the next few games ticked off, Kyrgios moped around the court like a petulant child, and when he called for the physio a second time it appeared that the match was minutes from Kyrgios throwing in the towel. Then he found his mind, found his game, and actually started to compete, and it was a thing of joy to watch. He hammered serves, he crushed groundstrokes, and he dictated play against one of the greatest to ever play the game. Kyrgios even hit two shots that you rarely, if ever, see in tennis—a JUMPING DROP SHOT and an UNDERHAND SERVE! Soon, it became apparent that the match was on Kyrgios’ racket, and that Nadal was just a pawn in this strange tennis Orwellian nightmare. Kyrgios won the second set tiebreaker going away and saved three match points in the third set breaker when Nadal missed two groundstrokes and double-faulted to walk away with the match. Nadal, ever the sportsman and the gentleman, had this to say afterwards, “He is a player who has huge talent, who could be winning Grand Slams or fighting for first position in the rankings.” And then tellingly added, “He lacks respect for the public, the opponent and himself.”
Well, Stan Wawrinka won’t stand for that lack of respect, but often, when you play Kyrgios, you’re just a spectator to his momentary mood. Nonetheless, Stan is in Beast Mode, beating two Americans in a row in straight sets, Ryan Harrison, and Steve Johnson. As predicted, Johnson’s backhand collapsed at 5-6 in the second set after having lost the first set, and all the Swiss had to do was push the ball back to that side and Johnson let fly with a shot 12-feet long to lose the match. As the song “Blowing In The Wind” wondered, “…when will they ever learn….when will they ever learn?”
John Isner over John Millman
This is a very tricky match. When Isner serves well he generally dictates play and is in control. But John Millman presents an interesting challenge to Isner, as he is a fighter and digs for every point. Millman prides himself on competing, and if he sinks his teeth into a match, he’s a difficult opponent to subdue. The Australian Davis Cupper has won two matches in straight sets and in the last one, against Peter Gojowczyk, he lost only two games, which is dominant. I expect this one to be close and very competitive, but I think if Isner serves as he is capable of, and as he did against Sam Querrey last round, he’ll triumph.
Sascha Zverev over Alex de Minaur
The sport has found another top-level player just within the past six months, as the Australian 20-year-old has come of age and planted himself into the upper echelon of the sport. As this year progresses and de Minaur collects ranking points from the remaining three Grand Slam tournaments I expect to see his ranking rise from his current #26 to the Top Fifteen, without a doubt. He has an “old-school” game where he mixes spins and speeds, is unpredictable from the back-court, and tries to work his way into the net to close out points, where and when it’s easy. Watching him play is a lesson in tactics and patience and is a real throwback. However, beating Sascha Zverev remains a very tall task. The 6’6” German is ranked #3 in the world, is playing brilliant tennis, holds a 3-0 career mark over the Aussie, and at age 21 just doesn’t get tired. These guys will be playing in the Mexican heat, where I’ve seen players’ shorts get totally saturated with sweat after just four games, but these guys are both young and resilient and won’t let the heat or the humidity affect their play. They’ll battle this out and when the dust settles, I expect Zverev to move on to the semis.