Nick Kyrgios’s Wimbledon stocks have soared with a priceless first-time top-16 seeding at the All England Club.
Kyrgios has been elevated to 15th seed for the championships starting on Monday despite being ranked No.18 in the world.
The crucial promotion protects the Australian No.1 from a meeting against any of the top eight seeds – including heavyweights Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Roger Federer – until at least the fourth round.
Samantha Stosur will also enjoy the significant benefits of a top-16 seeding, but fellow Australian Bernard Tomic hasn’t been handed any such favours.
The recent Queen’s Club semi-finalist has been seeded 19th for the men’s event, in line with his ranking, and leaves him in danger of striking one of the big guns as early as the third round.
Kyrgios, though, was elevated above Gael Monfils and John Isner under the All England Club’s complex grasscourt formula, which rewards players for outstanding results on the surface in the past two years.
The 21-year-old announced his arrival on the international stage with a stunning upset of then-world No.1 Rafael Nadal en route to the quarter-finals in 2014 before falling to Richard Gasquet in the round of 16 last year.
Kyrgios arrives this year with a career-high ranking and is rated by bookmakers as the sixth favourite for the title as he looks to cash in on his seedings break.
The enigmatic youngster is also set for five-star treatment at the Boodles exhibition event, with Kyrgios slated to showcase his Wimbledon credentials in a marquee match-up against Djokovic on Friday.
Tomic, who is continuing his preparations at Wimbledon under Lleyton Hewitt’s guidance, will be disappointed he wasn’t promoted in the seedings despite the absence of world No.4 Nadal with a wrist injury.
The 2011 quarter-finalist will be sweating on avoiding the top dogs until the second week at Friday’s draw in London.
Djokovic and Murray are projected to clash in a grand slam final for the third time in 2016 after being seeded first and second respectively.
Seventeen-time major champion Federer is seeded third, immediately ahead of Swiss compatriot Stan Wawrinka.
Japan’s Kei Nishikori is No.5, while Canadian Milos Raonic, with John McEnroe now in his coaching box, is sixth.
The 10th-ranked Gasquet, a two-time Wimbledon semi-finalist, has been bumped up to No.7 seed, while world No.13 Marin Cilic, a quarter-finalist the past two years, is seeded ninth.
The women’s seedings follow the WTA rankings, with six-time Wimbledon champion Serena Williams at No.1 and Garbine Muguruza at No.2, followed by Agnieszka Radwanska, Angelique Kerber and Simona Halep.
Stosur has been seeded 15th, one position higher than her ranking in the absence of retired world No.16 Flavia Pennetta.
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