10SBALLS SHARES RICKY’S PREVIEW AND PICKS FOR THE CHENGDU TENNIS OPEN – SECOND ROUND: NICK KYRGIOS VS. KEVIN ANDERSON & VIKTOR TROICKI VS. MARCOS BAGHDATIS

Written by: Staff on 28th September 2016

10SBALLS SHARES RICKY'S PREVIEW AND PICKS FOR THE CHENGDU TENNIS OPEN - SECOND ROUND: NICK KYRGIOS VS. KEVIN ANDERSON & VIKTOR TROICKI VS. MARCOS BAGHDATIS |

Everything is ready! #ChengduOpen2016 four days to go! Come to the tournament and meet the star players at Sichuan International Tennis Center in Shuangliu! – Photo by @chengduopentennis via Instagram.

By Ricky Dimon

Nick Kyrgios and Viktor Troicki, who are playing doubles together at the Chengdu Open, will be hoping to snag spots in the singles quarterfinals when they take the court on Thursday. Kyrgios is opening against Kevin Anderson, while Troicki is taking on Marcos Baghdatis. Ricky previews the action and makes his predictions.

Kevin Anderson vs. (2) Nick Kyrgios

Kyrgios and Anderson will be squaring off for the first time in their careers when they clash in the second round of the Chengdu Open. Even though Kyrgios’ season has been up and down on the court (and relatively controversy free off the court), he comes in at a career-high ranking of No. 15. The 21-year-old Australian had momentum heading into the U.S. Open following his second career ATP title at the BB&T Atlanta Open and he dominated his first two matches, but he was forced to retire against Illya Marchenko because of a hip issue. Kyrgios put those concerns mostly to rest when he helped his nation get back in the Davis Cup World Group by winning a playoff rubber 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 at the expense of Slovakia’s Andrej Martin.

Photo by @ChengduOpen via Twitter.

Anderson’s 2016 campaign has been stagnant since it began with significant arm problems. The South African’s record stands at a mere 13-16 and it has him down at 45th in the world. He turned in a decent run on the American hard courts, with a quarterfinal finish in Toronto and third-round performances at the Cincinnati Masters and U.S. Open. Anderson kicked off his Chengdu campaign on Tuesday in Chengdu by beating Jordan Thompson 6-2, 6-4. Kyrgios may take some time adjusting to conditions in his first outing on the Asian swing, but he will likely get the job done in a close one.

Pick: Kyrgios in 3

(6) Viktor Troicki vs. Marcos Baghdatis

Troicki and Baghdatis will be facing each other for the seventh time in their careers. Baghdatis is leading the head-to-head series 5-1, including 4-1 at the ATP level. They most recently collided early this year in Dubai, where the Cypriot scored a 7-6(2), 6-2 victory. Troicki’s lone win came via a 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 scoreline in the 2010 St. Petersburg final.

Baghdatis came out on top of a rain-delayed three-setter against a confident Pablo Carreno Busta to reach round two in Chengdu. Their battle got pushed back from Tuesday to Wednesday at 5-5 in the third set, after which Baghdatis ended up prevailing 6-7(5), 7-6(5), 7-6(5) over the Winston-Salem champion. The world No. 36 is now 24-18 for the season, which features a recent fourth-round finish at the U.S. Open.

“The whole match yesterday (and today) was very tough,” Baghdatis said after beating Carreno Busta. “I’m happy with my win. I think I was a bit lucky or maybe better than him in the important points. I made less unforced errors and it paid off today. I’m thrilled to be in the second round.”

Troicki benefited from a favorable first-round draw and took care of 17-year-old wild card Casper Ruud 6-3, 7-6(4). The Serb is 27-23 for the year and coming off a quarterfinal showing in St. Petersburg (fell to eventual champion Stan Wawrinka).

Pick: Baghdatis in 2

Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand.

Topics: 10sballs, Chengdu Open, Kevin Anderson, Marcos Baghdatis, Nick Kyrgios, Ricky Dimon, Sports, Tennis, Tennis News, Viktor Troicki

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10sBalls_com says:

September 28, 2016 at 10:38 am

Ricky’s Preview & Picks For The #ChengduOpen #Tennis – Second Round: Kyrgios vs Anderson & Troicki vs Baghdatis… https://t.co/p5Rn7dmMjB