Nick Kyrgios made a dominant start to his 2017 campaign, blowing away Feliciano Lopez in straight sets in the first round of the Hopman Cup.
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Final score
Nick Kyrgios 2 (6,6)
Feliciano Lopez 0 (3,4)
Can Nick Kyrgios and Daria Gavrilova get their title defence off to a good start when they take on Spain’s Feliciano Lopez and Lara Arruabarrena? Join The Roar from 8:30pm (AEDT) for live coverage.
Nick Kyrgios is set to make a storm in 2017 after a sour end to 2016.
The Australian bad boy currently sits at 13th on the ATP tour and is looking at claiming a spot inside the top 10.
Kyrgios hasn’t taken to the court since winning at Tokyo and reaching the second round of Shanghai last year.
The 21-year-old could make history as he and Gavrilova hope to become the first pair to successfully defend a Hopman Cup title.
Another crown at Perth will give Kyrgios the appropriate leg-up ahead of what shapes as his biggest year so far on the ATP Tour as he attempts to have his best grand slam yet on home soil by reaching the semi-finals or even better becoming the first Australian to win at Melbourne Park since Mark Edmondson in 1976.
Lopez, on the other hand, sits at 28th on the tour and will be hoping he can finally claim a grand slam title after 60 attempts previously.
A good start to the summer against the likes of Kyrgios and Jack Sock will give him the perfect springboard to make a splash in what may well prove to be his last ever Australian Open.
If Lopez is to give Spain a shot at the Hopman Cup title, he will need to push Kyrgios to the net and use his strong service game to his advantage. His backhand slices will be crucial in shutting down one of tennis’ next big things.
Kyrgios and Lopez have met three times with the Spaniard winning two matches. Their most recent encounter saw Kyrgios triumph in four sets at Wimbledon 6-3, 6-7, 6-3, 6-4.
They have only had one meeting on hard court with Lopez winning in the semifinals at Kuala Lumpur 7-6, 7-6.
Prediction
Feliciano Lopez will put up a fight, however, Nick Kyrgios will show his skill and give Australia an early win.
Kyrgios in three sets.
Join The Roar from 8:30pm (AEDT) for live coverage of the match, and be sure to drop a comment in the box below if you’re watching the match.
Riley Pettigrew
Roar Guru
Certainly, Kyrgios looked really strong on service. Averaging around the 205 km/h mark with plenty of aces. Good start to the summer for him.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Jeez that was a smashing.
Riley Pettigrew
Roar Guru
That concludes The Roar's coverage of Nick Kyrgios vs Feliciano Lopez. The second tie will begin very soon as Daria Gavrilova looks to secure a win for Australia. You can catch all the action here. Thanks for following along.
Riley Pettigrew
Roar Guru
"I took the approach to come in fresh. I'm really happy with that performance today. I'm just getting my head right after a bitter end to my year last year [...] I'm doing everything I can to get my best chance at the Aussie. I'm really looking forward to getting out there with her [Gavrilova] and looking to get a win."
Riley Pettigrew
Roar Guru
FINAL Nick Kyrgios with a brilliant effort winning in straight sets. Nick Kyrgios (AUS) 6 6 Feliciano Lopez (ESP) 3 4
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Roar Guru
Kyrgios with the ace. Australia lead Spain 1-0 Nick Kyrgios (AUS) 6 6 Feliciano Lopez (ESP) 3 4
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Roar Guru
Lopez comes to the net, forces the error. Match point Nick Kyrgios (AUS) 6 5 40 Feliciano Lopez (ESP) 3 4 15
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Roar Guru
Kyrgios at the net, drop shot Nick Kyrgios (AUS) 6 5 30 Feliciano Lopez (ESP) 3 4 15
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Roar Guru
Lopez puts it into the net, forced error Nick Kyrgios (AUS) 6 5 15 Feliciano Lopez (ESP) 3 4 15
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Roar Guru
Kyrgio on serve, he makes the unforced error hitting too wide to the right Nick Kyrgios (AUS) 6 5 0 Feliciano Lopez (ESP) 3 4 15
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Roar Guru
Kyrgios serving for the match. Nick Kyrgios (AUS) 6 5 Feliciano Lopez (ESP) 3 4
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Roar Guru
Lopez hits the forehand winner on the approach set Nick Kyrgios (AUS) 6 5 Feliciano Lopez (ESP) 3 4
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Roar Guru
Kyrgios with the forced error, swinging wide. Nick Kyrgios (AUS) 6 5 15 Feliciano Lopez (ESP) 3 3 40
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Roar Guru
Lopez with yet another ace Nick Kyrgios (AUS) 6 5 15 Feliciano Lopez (ESP) 3 3 30
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Roar Guru
That's 10 aces for Lopez at 209km/h Nick Kyrgios (AUS) 6 5 15 Feliciano Lopez (ESP) 3 3 15
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Roar Guru
Lopez on serve, Kyrgios at the net, a nice slice with the drop shot Nick Kyrgios (AUS) 6 5 15 Feliciano Lopez (ESP) 3 3 0
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Roar Guru
Kyrgios with the service winner, holds to love Nick Kyrgios (AUS) 6 5 Feliciano Lopez (ESP) 3 3
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Roar Guru
Kyrgios hits his 13th ace Nick Kyrgios (AUS) 6 4 40 Feliciano Lopez (ESP) 3 3 0
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Roar Guru
Kyrgios goes to the net and hits the forehand volley winner Nick Kyrgios (AUS) 6 4 30 Feliciano Lopez (ESP) 3 3 0
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Roar Guru
Kyrgios on serve, he starts off with an ace Nick Kyrgios (AUS) 6 4 15 Feliciano Lopez (ESP) 3 3 0