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PREVIEW: 2022 ATP Tour – ATP 250 Series Ro16 matches

Damien Kayat previews selected ATP 250 Series Round of 16 matches at the River Oaks Country Club.

Nick Kyrgios - Wimbledon
Image copyright - Steve Haag Sport

Damien Kayat previews selected ATP 250 Series Round of 16 matches at the River Oaks Country Club.

Two women looking excitedly at cellphone

2022 ATP Tour
ATP 250 Series
US Men’s Clay Court Championship
River Oaks Country Club, Houston, Texas (Outdoor Clay-court)
Selected Round of 16 Matches- 6th, 7th April

6th April
Nick Kyrgios (59/100) vs Tommy Paul (7) (13/10)

The ATP just announced that they will be dishing out stronger punishment against aggressive on-court behaviour. This comes in the wake of a slew of tempestuous, ugly moments.

Perhaps the player who will be most affected by this announcement is resident ATP Tour hothead Nick Kyrgios. He endured high-profile bust-ups in both legs of the Sunshine Double. Can this guy just keep it together for a week?

Kyrgios has enjoyed a mini career resurgence this year, winning the Aussie Open doubles title and enjoying a measure of success in singles (perhaps having a doubles partner allows him to share his psychic burdens).

He reached the quarterfinals in Indian Wells, beating Casper Rudd along the way for his first win against a top 10 player this year. He then registered his 2nd top 10 win in Miami, absolutely annihilating Andrey Rublev in the 2nd round. But he capitulated against Jannik Sinner in a performance that highlighted his Jekyll and Hyde nature. He is fresh off a comeback victory against Mackenzie Macdonald and he should be really motivated this week.

This is set to be his last tournament until the completion of the entire clay-court season.

While not quite at the level of Taylor Fritz just yet, 7th seed Tommy Paul is quietly doing his part for this current renaissance in American tennis.

Paul won his maiden title in Stockholm last year and he is enjoying a very solid 2022. He reached back-to-back quarterfinals in Adelaide to start the year. He also reached the semi-finals of the Delray Beach Open. He would then reach the quarterfinals in Mexico before losing to the titanic Rafa Nadal.

He then endured an underwhelming Sunshine Double. Having said that, he did pick up the best win of his career against Alex Zverev in Indian Wells. Paul was perhaps a bit fortunate in his opening match, with Peter Gojowczyk forced to retire in the latter stages of a gruelling three-set affair.

Paul is actually really suited to this surface. Of his 10 titles at Challenger and Futures level- six of them have come on clay. He also won the junior title at the 2015 French Open. His movement is excellent and he will look to frustrate Kyrgios with protracted rallies.

The Verdict: Kyrgios to win in three sets- This will be the first career meeting between these two. Kyrgios will obviously look to overpower Paul with his superior serve and power. But he obviously doesn’t get the same purchase off his delivery on this surface. I also think that Paul’s movement could cause real problems for the Aussie. I have been guilty of backing Kyrgios too much in the past. But I really think he will pull through in this match. He knows he has the luxury of an extended holiday after this week. I expect him to dig deep.

7th April
Jordan Thompson vs Cristian Garin (5)

Nuggety Aussie Jordan Thompson picked up an emphatic victory against Steven Diez, taking his season’s record to an even 7-7. It has been a frustrating, stop-start campaign for the Aussie workhorse. His best result of the season came with a quarterfinal run in Dallas.

He has a preference for hard surfaces and is actually relatively inexperienced on clay. His career record of 11-18 on this surface is not exactly encouraging. He actually enjoyed a pretty solid 2021 on the hardcourts, helping him to end with a 21-21 season. But he only reached one quarterfinal on clay during the year (that was in Mallorca). Victory in this match will see him reach the quarterfinals of this event for the 2nd time after his 2019 run.

Could he finally start to build up some momentum after that convincing opening victory?

It hasn’t been the easiest of years for Chilean clay-court specialist Cristian Garin. The 25-year-old came into this match as one of the most unconfident 5th seeds you could possibly imagine. He came into this match on a run of five consecutive defeats.

I was really amazed by his three first-round defeats during the South American clay-court swing. This is the theatre where Garin usually shines (he has previously won all three of those titles). Garin is a five-time ATP winner (all five of those titles have come on clay). Crucially, Garin won this very event in 2019.

I think that he could use this week as a springboard to reinvigorate his flagging form. He will need to recharge quickly after a pulsating three-set victory against another former champ: Jack Sock.

The Verdict: Garin to win in three sets- This will be yet another first-time meeting. I think that Garin’s victory over Sock could be key here. Garin is an accomplished clay-court player who just needs some momentum.

Thompson battles to hit through the court on this surface and I think Garin should grind this one out. But I think this could possibly be a three-set affair, with two pugnacious players who are currently short on confidence.

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