Nick Kyrgios takes on third seed Richard Gasquet in the quarterfinals of the Open 13.
How they got here
Kyrgios has had two fairly straightforward matches, defeating Canadian Vasek Pospisil 6-4, 6-4 in the first round followed by a second round victory over Russian Teymuraz Gabashvili by the same 6-4, 6-4 score.
Gasquet received a first-round bye as the third seed(the top four seeds in the tournament receive first-round byes). He knocked off Latvian Ernests Gulbis 7-6 (5), 6-3 in the second round.
Head-to-Head
Gasquet has won four of the five previous meetings against Kyrgios. The first was a 7-6(3), 6-2, 6-2 win in the Davis Cup first round in 2014. The second was the final in Estoril by a 6-3, 6-2 score. The final two were a 7-5, 6-1, 6-7 (7), 7-6 (6) win at Wimbledon and a 6-2, 6-1 drubbing in the first round of Cincinnati. Kyrgios' only victory was a memorable one: a 3-6, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 7-5, 10-8 come-from-behind win in the second round of Wimbledon. Three of the previous five meetings came in 2015.
What to expect
Kyrgios has an explosive game with a big serve and groundstrokes. Indoor hard courts should suit his game well and he has looked relatively sharp in winning his two matches so far in Marseille. Gasquet has always fared well during this time of the year as evidenced by his tournament win in Montpellier, repeating as champion there.
Curiously, the Frenchman has never made the final here. In four of the previous five meetings between the two, there has been a lot at stake with a Davis Cup, two Wimbledon meetings and Kyrgios' first (and so far only) career final in Estoril. Gasquet will look to use his magnificent backhand, superior movement and the home crowd to his advantage while Kyrgios will want to dictate with his bigger weapons off the serve and ground to keep points short.
Prediction
Kyrgios in 3 sets. Although everything would seem to favor Gasquet: a home court and home crowd advantage, a higher ranking and a positive career head-to-head, I think this is one of those times where Kyrgios shows up laser-focused knowing that this is a big match playing someone who is confident with his surroundings.
Gasquet is recently coming back from an injury and looked good in beating Gulbis, but he now faces an even stiffer challenge. This match will have its share of ups and downs and most likely a dramatic moment or two as Kyrgios likes to fan the flames, but I feel he'll be under control enough to pull out a close victory and advance to the semifinals to face either sixth seed David Goffin or second seed Tomas Berdych.