Scotland V England Saturday 24th February. 4:45PM. BBC One Scotland v England renew their rivalry…
US Open Tennis 2015: Andy Murray V Nick Kyrgios Live – Can British Superstar Overcome Tricky Opener?
This year’s final Grand Slam of tennis is underway at Flushing Meadows and the world’s top stars will all by vying to get their hands on the trophy.
While it’s set to be a truly fascinating fortnight, we don’t have to wait long for the first headline encounter of the event as Britain’s Andy Murray begins his quest for a third Grand Slam title with a difficult contest against fiery Australian Nick Kyrgios.
Quite often, we have to wait until week two for the drama to really unfold. However, this is set to be a feast that should get the New York crowd jumping. Bring it on!
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It’s easily the highlight of round one, and British fans will be eager to see whether the world number three can avoid this potential banana skin against one of the tour’s most exciting young talents. While Murray should be fancied to progress, first round matches don’t come much harder than this.
The pair have already met twice in Grand Slam competition this year, with the Brit coming up trumps in both Australia and France. Nonetheless, the 2012 winner is fully aware of the challenge at hand, and will not take this one lightly.
Kyrgios has been in the news recently for ill-advised comments, while his petulance at Wimbledon is also fresh in the memory. However, the 20-year-old does possess the ability to push Murray all the way here. You get the feeling that his mindset will play a huge impact on whether this is an easy test for the Brit or not.
On a brighter note for Murray, winning this match would put him on a seemingly easy route to a fifth quarter-final at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre. It should be a thrilling first round contest, and you can follow the action live on Sky Sports. If there’s only one first round match you watch, this is easily the leading candidate.
Elsewhere On Day 2
All eyes will naturally be cast towards this contest between Murray and Kyrgios. However, there are plenty of other noteworthy matches that will keep tennis fans glued to their screens throughout Day 2.
Murray fans may have one eye on Kevin Anderson’s encounter with Andrey Rublev, as the former is probably the British number one’s biggest threat before the last eight stage. Meanwhile, fellow Brits James Ward and Aljaz Bedene are in action against Thomaz Bellucci and Ernests Gulbis respectively.
There are also some big names in action as Swiss superstars Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka both begin their campaigns. Over in the women’s draw, Petra Kviota, Sabine Lisicki and Victoria Azarenka will all be expected to seal their progress.
Meanwhile, British starlet Laura Robson will be out for her first Grand Slam win since returning from the wrist injury that kept her on the sidelines for a year. She faces a tough test against Elina Vesnina, but the 21-year-old will be hopeful.
Whatever happens, it should be a thrilling day in New York.
Andy Murray V Nick Kyrgios Betting
While this is a difficult first round test for Murray, the Brit is firm favourite to beat the world number 37. This is reflected in the betting odds as Bet365 price the 2012 winner at 1/12. Meanwhile, Kyrgios can be backed at 7/1 to cause an upset.
Despite the obvious excitement of Kyrgios, there’s a big expectancy for Murray to turn up the heat in the venue of his first major success. While the likes of Rafael Nadal and Milos Raonic have fallen to the Australian in previous Grand Slam events, Murray’s baseline game should be too much for the underdog.
Murray has powered his way through previous meetings, and we expect him to do so once more. Starting with a confident first set victory.
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