Alexander Zverev and Nick Kyrgios met in the third round of the Canadian Open in Montreal 2017, and the German scored a 6-4, 6-3 victory in 71 minutes to reach the quarter-finals. It was Alexander’s first win over Nick in three meetings, losing to the Australian in Indian Wells and Miami in March of that year, but he did everything right in Montreal to stay on course to win the title.
The German blocked all eight break opportunities and converted three of the four breaks to advance to the finish line and advance to the quarter-finals. Alexander defended his serve well in the middle of the first set and gained momentum, taking advantage of his return chances to cross the finish line first against an opponent who was trying to break his rhythm and avoid long sprints.
Pain in his left leg and hip again, Kyrgios asked for two medical breaks and left the last game of the game after running out of fuel. Zverev found his forehand in the second part of the second set, fine-tuning his key strokes and carrying his opponent unanswered.
Alexander Zverev defeated Nick Kyrgios at Montreal 2017 in straight sets
They had a similar number of service winners, 21-20 for Alexander, and the German had more effective numbers on the field, with 21 winners versus Nick’s ten winners.
Zverev provided these numbers while making only eight cross-faults and the Australian failed to keep up with that pace and lost ground in the crucial moments to open the exit door.
Nearly 70% of the points ended with the shortest four-stroke division, and Zverev was 43:36 in the lead. He also did better on points from five to eight strokes, winning 17 out of 28.
Nick made two double faults in the opener to face a break point, dodge with a winner shot, and fired two of his serves in an important service match. Alexander took a break at 1-1 with a winning forehand, based on advantage, but worked hard in games four and six to keep him on his side.
The German faced six stopping points in those matches as the Australian began to mix and play more powerful punches from his back wing. After the ups and downs, Alexander kept his serve in both games to stay 4-2 ahead, with Nick swinging his match from Game 5 away which wasn’t a good sign.
Kyrgios received a medical break in his left leg after the seventh inning, and Zverev fired three serve-winners in games eight and 10 to complete the first set in style. Nick fought well in the early matches of the second set before quickly fouling 2-2 right after serving and dropping 3-2.
Alexander played well behind the first shot and sealed the deal with a break to 5-3 in a match that saw just 11 hits.
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