Just two men are left in contention at the Washington Open as the enigmatic Nick Kyrgios prepares to take on third seed Daniil Medvedev. Both men will surely be desperate to claim the title in D.C. to kick start their North American summer hard-court swing. But who will lift the trophy after Sunday’s final?
Washington Open Final
Nick Kyrgios vs Daniil Medvedev
Head-to-head: Kyrgios 1-0 Medvedev
The 2019 Washington Open has seen the best and worst of Australia’s Kyrgios. At times he has played the sort of thrilling, devil may care tennis that once looked set to take him to the very top of the game. His serve has been deadly as ever, he has been dictating off the forehand side and covering the court impressively. He advanced to the semifinals without dropping a set and had looked set to sweep aside the top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas up a set and a break.
And then the Washington Open saw the very worst of Kyrgios. Distracted by noise in the crowd, the Australian lost his composure entirely, swearing repeatedly and hurling his racquet about with abandon, for which he was eventually given a point penalty. That outburst followed his refusal to shake the umpire’s hand after his second-round win The set quickly escaped his grasp, but encouragingly he was able to steady the ship in the decider. He fought his way into a tiebreak where, despite squandering a 5-2 lead and facing a match point, he prevailed to claim a 6-4 3-6 7-6 win.
Medvedev has rather flown under the radar all week, but has made impressive progress through the draw, beating Bjorn Fratangelo, Frances Tiafoe, sixth seed Marin Cilic and Peter Gojowczyk, all without dropping a set. His shot production remains slightly unorthodox, particularly off the forehand side, but it is undeniably effective. The Russian backs himself to outlast his opponents with consistent penetrating hitting and surprising speed and he is rarely wrong to do so.
It is hard to see Kyrgios engaging in many long rallies, however. He managed to beat Medvedev playing first-strike tennis on the clay at the Foro Italico earlier this season and will surely believe he can repeat that performance on the faster courts in Washington. If he remains focused, he has every chance of doing just that. But if he allows Medvedev’s defensive qualities to frustrate him, the match will likely get away from him quickly, with the Russian more than capable of playing on the front foot.
Kyrgios being Kyrgios, it is hard to say which outcome is more likely. But he has, for the most part, looked to be enjoying his tennis this week and he has evidently wanted to win matches. With just one hurdle left to clear, Kyrgios will surely not lack motivation to play the sort of tennis that he can. The sort of tennis that can take him to the Washington Open title.
Prediction: Kyrgios in 3
Main photo:
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