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Nick Kyrgios vs Matthew Ebden: Brisbane International tennis live scores, blog

3rd January, 2018

Live Scores

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2018 Brisbane International, January 3

Men's Singles, 2nd round

Pat Rafter Arena, Queensland Tennis Centre

Nick Kyrgios vs Matthew Ebden

 
  s1 s2 s3
Nick Kyrgios, AUS 6 7 6
Matthew Ebden, AUS 7 6 2
Start time: Around 3:30pm (AEDT)
Venue: Pat Rafter Arena, Queensland Tennis Centre
TV: Live, Channel 7
Online: Live, 7Tennis app or website
Betting: Kyrgios $1.14, Ebden $5.75
Overall record: Never played

Nick Kyrgios last 10 matches: won 5, lost 5
Matthew Ebden last 10 matches: won 8, lost 2
Will Nick Kyrgios ever win a grand slam? (AAP Image/Glenn Hunt)
Expert
3rd January, 2018
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1251 Reads

Nick Kyrgios begins his 2018 season in the second round at the Brisbane International when he takes on in-form countryman Matthew Ebden. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from around 3:30pm (AEDT).

Kyrgios, ranked 21 in the world, seems primed for the new season, but then, he has so many times before.

Australia’s most maligned sports star has proven what he is made of on the Davis Cup stage, but had a disappointing 2017 in grand slams and he will be looking to turn things around.

Building form in Brisbane will prove to be a key part of his tilt at the first major of the year, and with many of the top players battling injury and form woes, the 22-year-old’s chances have never been better.

Still, he will be keen to impress in Brisbane first. He has spent the start of his season for the last few years at the Hopman Cup in Perth, a tournament which has generally suited the firebrand Aussie.

His serve and offensive weapons should be too much for most of the field in Brisbane to handle though, with the Aussie coming off the back of an injury-plagued second half of 2017. Still, he made it to a final in Beijing, losing to Rafael Nadal before bringing the curtain down on his season to focus on rehabbing a hip.

Ebden, on the other hand, was superb at the back end of 2017 and after an injury forced Nadal out, he was granted an automatic main draw place in Brisbane, not having to rely on a wildcard.

That came after he finished 2017 on a high note, making it to the quarter-finals of a Challenger tournament in Hua Hin. He rose back into the top 100, finishing the year at 80 and securing his place at the Australian Open in a fortnight.

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In the first round, he came up against young gun American Frances Tiafoe. In a match he was expected to be an outsider in, but he came away with a dominant 6-3, 6-2 victory, which has paved the way for him to have a strong Aussie summer.

Kyrgios will be a huge step up for Edben, but if he can lengthen the points, make Kyrgios work hard and get under his skin, then anything is possible with the feeling always there that Kyrgios could lose the plot at any moment.

Prediction
You never quite know what you’ll get from Kyrgios, but he should be up for this at the start of a new season in his home country. If he wins, it could be over quickly.

Kyrgios in straight sets.

Be sure to join The Roar for live coverage of the Brisbane International from around 3:30pm (AEDT) and don’t forget to add a comment below.

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