US Open 2022: Nick Kyrgios vs. Thanasi Kokkinakis Tennis Pick and Prediction

TennisSection previews the 2022 US Open as Nick Kyrgios takes on Thanasi Kokkinakis in the first round on Monday, August 29th, 2022.

Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis will put their friendship to one side as they battle for a spot in the second round of the US Open. The night session’s popcorn match should certainly live up to people’s expectations and they will have a lions’ share of noise inside Arthur Ashe stadium. Who will prevail in the all-Australian clash?

As ridiculous as it may have sound at the start of the year, Nick Kyrgios is now one of the top five favorites to win the US Open. Kyrgios has undergone a transformational year in 2022, highlighted by his return to world’s top 30 and reaching his maiden Grand Slam final at Wimbledon where he lost narrowly to Novak Djokovic in four sets. Besides that, he won the Australian Open doubles titles alongside Thanasi Kokkinakis at the turn of the year – a result which served as a catalyst to this remarkable renaissance. And it was only fitting that Kyrgios also returned to the winner’s podium in singles, as he lifted the Washington title for the second time in his career.

Thanasi Kokkinakis, for his part, is past his injury-ridden years. And Kokkinakis has reaped huge reward for maintaining a decent spell of good health in 2022. He won his first ATP title at his hometown of Adelaide right at the start of the year before going on to clinch the aforementioned Australian Open doubles title alongside his good friend Kyrgios just a few weeks later. Kokkinakis successfully qualified for the Miami Masters in March – the tournament he stunned Roger Federer back in 2018 for the biggest win of his life – and reached the fourth round. His form has been on a seesaw since then and will look to address a downward trend in results when he battles Kyrgios in a blockbuster first-round match at the US Open.

Remarkbly, Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis have not played each on the ATP Tour. But they have contested two matches on the Challenger Tour, with Kyrgios coming out on top each time. Kyrgios will once again take the mantle of the favorite on Monday. He is the man in form and owns a 31-9 record for the year – which accounts for one of the best winning percentage of top 10 players this season. While the hype is reaching fever pitch, we might not get a classic as these two players will shorten points with their monstrous serving and showboating. Kyrgios though should have his good friend’s number in this one.