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LONDON, ENGLAND – JUNE 19: Andy Murray of Great Britain and Nick Kyrgios of Australia shake hands following their match on Day Two of the Fever-Tree Championships at Queens Club on June 19, 2018 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Steve Bardens/Getty Images)
via Getty
LONDON, ENGLAND – JUNE 19: Andy Murray of Great Britain and Nick Kyrgios of Australia shake hands following their match on Day Two of the Fever-Tree Championships at Queens Club on June 19, 2018 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Steve Bardens/Getty Images)
After the Western and Southern Open, the Winston-Salem Open 2021 is the next stop ahead of the US Open. The ATP 250 event will kick off on the 21st of August, and features some top stars. The tournament received a huge boost recently, as fan-favorite Andy Murray confirmed his participation. He will be part of the pick of first round clashes. The competition will also see top players like Nick Kyrgios and Marin Cilic taking part this year.
Andy Murray to battle Nick Kyrgios in Round-1
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Nick Kyrgios and Andy Murray
Both Murray and Kyrgios are in a race against time to find their groove ahead of the 2021 US Open. In the recently concluded draw, fans were treated to a mouth-watering first round clash. The match will see Andy Murray and Nick Kyrgios square off against each other for a place in the second round. The duo have been placed in the bottom half of the fixtures.
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While Murray last competed at the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati, Kyrgios played at the National Bank Open in Canada. It will be an unfortunate ending for one of the players, as both of them would’ve been hoping to go deep in the event. The last time these two faced each other was way back in 2018 at Queen’s, where Kyrgios prevailed in three sets. Looking forward to the match-up, Murray analyzed how difficult it will be.
Murray is wary of the Australian’s prowess
Previewing his Winston-Salem Open opening round match, the former World No.1 was aware of the challenge that lies ahead. In a pre-tournament interview, Andy shared his feelings. “Yeah I mean look, it’s obviously a tough match,” acknowledged the 3-time major victor. He went on to decode what makes the Australian a dangerous proposition.
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Andy’s thoughts on his first round matchup against his mate, Nick Kyrgios. 🤔
Who is your pick for this knock out battle?
—#wsopen #winstonsalemopen #builtforthefans#murray #kyrgios #popcornmatch pic.twitter.com/wtJbG9vnJW— Winston-Salem Open (@WSOpen) August 21, 2021
“Nick [Kyrgios] is one of the most talented guys on tour. I am pretty friendly with him, we know each other well away from the court. But yeah, he is never easy to play against. He’s got a huge serve, he can play all of the shots, and yeah certainly not an easy first round for either of us.”
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Tennis buffs worldwide will be licking their lips ahead of the highly anticipated battle. Who do you think will come out on top? Will it be the experienced Murray, or the powerful Kyrgios?
