Montreal Masters 2022: Nick Kyrgios vs. Alex de Minaur Tennis Pick and Prediction

TennisSection previews the 2022 Montreal Masters as Nick Kyrgios takes on Alex De Minaur in the third round on Thursday, August 11th, 2022.

Who is stopping the Nick Kyrgios juggernaut? Following his statement win over World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev, the Aussie is arguably the red-hot favorite to walk away with the Montreal Masters title. But there are still a few speed bumps to navigate, starting with Alex De Minaur – also in top form.

Nick Kyrgios maintained his unbeaten streak on hard courts since his return intact. The mercurial Australian defeated World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev 6-7 6-4 6-2 to reach the third round of the Montreal Masters. Along with Carlos Alcaraz’s exit at the hands of Tommy Paul, Kyrgios is now odds-on favorite to go on and win the title from here. The unseeded Kyrgios did not drop serve in the match and exposed Medvedev’s deep-positioning with his serve-and-volley strategy which worked a treat.

Next up for Nick Kyrgios is Alex De Minaur, who is also riding a wave of confidence. The 23-year-old, like his compatriot, also won a title in the North American summer hard-court season in Atlanta. And he has done it the hard way to reach the third round of the Montreal Masters taking out home favorite Denis Shapovalov and the dangerous Grigor Dimitrov without dropping a set. De Minaur is the current top-ranked Australian in the rankings, but this matchup is poised to decide that mantle for the remainder of the 2022 season. Who will prevail?

Remarkably, Nick Kyrgios and Alex De Minaur have not clashed on the ATP Tour. Kyrgios is now unbeaten in eight matches following his title run in D.C. He is laser focused to get back to the top – where his talent deserves. What is even more impressive is the manner in which he has done his business without letting the crowd get to him or under his skin. We thought reaching the Wimbledon final was the pinnacle for him, but he is super motivated to do even better. And the absences of Nadal and Djokovic at the Montreal Masters have given him that impetus to go on and win this now.