Australian tennis fans hoping for a good result at next year’s Hopman Cup were treated to a preview of what they can expect, with Nick Kyrgios and Casey Dellacqua both progressing through to the third round of the US Open.
Kyrgios defeated Italy’s Andreas Seppi in straight sets, while Dellacqua came from a set down to defeat Chinese qualifier Qiang Wang in three sets to break new ground at Flushing Meadows.
Both have been confirmed to compete for Australia at next year’s eight-nation exhibition in Perth. They are bidding to win their the country’s first Hopman Cup since the pairing of Mark Philippoussis and Jelena Dokic in 1999.
They have been joined in the 2015 tournament by the Great Britain pairing of Andy Murray and Heather Watson, as well as world number one Serena Williams and Jack Sock, who will represent the United States.
Anyway, let’s now look back at how Kyrgios and Dellacqua got to the third round in New York.
With Australian number one Lleyton Hewitt bowing out in the first round with a straight-sets loss to the Czech Republic’s Tomas Berdych, this shapes as the best chance for Kyrgios to overtake the veteran as the nation’s top ranked player.
Even at 19 and ranked 60th in the world, Kyrgios is already playing like our top-ranked player, best demonstrated by his run to the quarter-finals at Wimbledon last month.
His eye-catching performances provide a much-needed boost to the state of Australian tennis, which has suffered as a result of Bernard Tomic failing to deliver after once being touted as our next big hope.
Additionally, former world number one Hewitt appears to be slowing down, especially with his 34th birthday looming. It’s possible that by the end of this year or next he might finally call time on his almost two-decade long career.
But there is no doubting that Kyrgios, who was never broken as he defeated Andreas Seppi in just under two hours, is the real deal. There is real hope he will be able to live up to expectations.
Kyrgios saved all five break points he faced as he sent world number 49 Seppi packing, with his reward now a third round showdown against another veteran in the form of Spain’s 16th seed Tommy Robredo.
Robredo, like many before him, is a seasoned campaigner who once reached a world ranking of fifth after winning the Hamburg Masters in 2006. Additionally, he has reached seven Grand Slam quarter-finals, five of those at the French Open.
His ranking has plummeted to 471 following a plethora of injuries, which have threatened to end his career. However, shock victories over Roger Federer at the US Open and Novak Djokovic at Cincinnati 12 months apart demonstrate his determination never to give up.
He looms as yet another obstacle in the run of Nick Kyrgios and a potential fourth round showdown against Australian Open champion Stan Wawrinka. The third seed faces Blaz Kavcic in his third round match on Sunday morning (AEST).
On the women’s side, 29th seed Dellacqua defeat of Qiang Wang ensured that she has reached at least this stage at each of the past four Grand Slams.
In the space of 12 months the Western Australian has resurrected her world singles ranking with the help of regular play in doubles, where she partners fellow Australian Ashleigh Barty.
She also reached the fourth round of the Australian Open earlier this year, being defeated by Eugenie Bouchard in three sets after winning the first set in a tiebreak. This matched her best ever Grand Slam result, also reaching the fourth round at the Australian Open in 2008.
Her improved form in 2014 has seen her crack the top 30 for the first time at the age of 29, and an unlikely deep run here could see her heap the pressure on Samantha Stosur as our top-ranked female player.
Stosur, champion in 2011, completed a second straight year without reaching a Grand Slam quarter-final after being edged out by Estonia’s Kaia Kanepi in a final set tiebreak in the second round.
Dellacqua will fancy herself of reaching the fourth round of the US Open for the first time when she faces the Czech Republic’s Karolina Pliskova. If she can get as far as the quarter-finals, then world number one Serena Williams would very likely await.
Other matches to watch out for over the weekend:
* Sam Groth versus Roger Federer (2)
* Maria Sharapova (5) versus Sabine Lisicki (26)
* Bernard Tomic versus David Ferrer (4)
* Sara Errani (13) versus Venus Williams (19)
* Lucie Safarova (14) versus Alize Cornet (22)
* Andrea Petkovic (18) versus Caroline Wozniacki (10)
* Angelique Kerber (6) versus Belinda Bencic
* Novak Djokovic (1) versus Sam Querrey
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