Nick Kyrgios (19 ATP) is expected by many to be one of the dominant names in men's tennis in future years. At 22, the Australian tennis star is yet to clinch a significant award on the ATP professional circuit. In 2017, his best tennis occurred during the first swing on the North American hard court. Whether it was in Acapulco, Indian Wells, or Miami, Kyrgios's tennis was on an upward trend. After all, he has two wins over Novak Djokovic while against Roger Federer he was few inches away to succeed.
The clay court swing put extra pressure on his shoulders, making his performance slow down a bit.
Entering the french open as the 18th seed, Kyrgios had to deal with a tricky opponent in the opening match.
Kyrgios successfully handles Kohlschreiber
Philipp Kohlschreiber (43 ATP) is that kind of opponent a top seed might want to avoid in the opening round. The 33-year-old German is a veteran of the ATP World Tour and a highly-skilled player. But Kyrgios seemed to have few problems in getting past him. The Aussie cruised past his opponent in straight sets 3-6 6-7(4) 3-6. Although it may seem that the second act was more balanced compared to the other two, it was not the case. Kyrgios totally dominated the encounter including the second set's tie-breaker. The victory puts him in front of another interesting clash against Kevin Anderson (56 ATP) from South Africa.
Anderson is a former top-10 player who got past Malek Jaziri (71 ATP) in his opening rubber.
For Nick Kyrgios, despite not having compelling results on the clay court lately, the expectations are high.
Kyrgios has a tough draw
The 22-year-old best result at the French Open remains a third-round presence in consecutive years (2015, 2016).
This season he might go even further although the projected trajectory includes Jo-Wilfried Tsonga for the round of 32, Marin Cilic for the round of 16, while the quarterfinals could bring Stan Wawrinka on the other side of the net.
Kyrgios had his breakthrough season back in 2014 after Wimbledon where he reached the quarterfinals.
Since then, he has been struggling with personal issues, injuries, and controversy. His yield got into a superior area a few months ago. The French Open might not be the best stage to perform at his best, but it's a good warm up for the grass season. His powerful style is just what a player needs to achieve greatness on the faster surfaces. If he will keep his focus strictly on tennis, the next few months could have him holding the headlines in a positive way.
