Nick Kyrgios: Alexander Bublik reminds me of me a little bit
Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios sees the similarities between himself and Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik.
Kyrgios, 23, and 21-year-old Bublik met at the Miami Masters on Friday.
The 27th-seeded Australian ended on the winning side, having beaten the world No. 131 7-5 6-3.
Qualifier Bublik paid the price for not converting his chances as Kyrgios saved five break points in the ninth game of the first set and two more break points in the 11th game.
On the other side, the Australian converted his first break point -- which at the same time was the first set point -- to claim a tight first set.
Kyrgios failed to convert a break point in the fourth game of the second set but broke the Kazakh in the eighth game before he served out for the match in the following game.
It was the first-ever meeting at the ATP level between the two rising stars.
"Kind of reminds me of me a little bit, so hopefully he can pull it together, play those bigger points with a little more discipline. Strange, me saying that. But he’s seriously fun to watch," Kyrgios said of Bublik post-match, per Ben Rothenberg.
Kyrgios, ranked at No. 33 in the world, plays next against Serb Dusan Lajovic.
Lajovic reached the third round after picking up a surprise second round win over No. 5 seed Kei Nishikori.
The Australian and the Serb are set to meet for the second time in their respective careers.
Interestingly, the first meeting between the two came a hear ago at the Miami Masters.
Back then, Kyrgios handed a straight-set defeat to Lajovic in the Miami second round.
from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2UYoz1P
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