Matchups We Want To See In Canada

Stan Wawrinka vs. Nick Kyrgios

Aug 7, 2015; Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Stan Wawrinka hits a fbackhand during practice session at Uniprix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

Projected Meeting: Second Round

Take a newly-crowned grand slam champion. Pin him against the hottest, most entertaining (read: volatile) young player on the ATP tour. And settle in for an energetic contest of bold backhands, tantalising trick shots and dominant serving.

Well, that’s what the organisers at Queen’s would have imagined when French Open champion Stan Wawrinka and Nick Kyrgios were scheduled to play in the first round of the June tournament.

And the result? Kyrgios fizzled out.

What should have been an exciting contest between two of the biggest hitters on tour turned out to be a error-dominated match, spanning just under an hour. Wawrinka ended up taking the match 6-4, 6-3 against an opponent who didn’t appear focussed on, or even interested in the match.

Now Wawrinka and Kyrgios are potential second round opponents in Canada, giving tennis fans an opportunity to see the match that should have taken place at the Queen’s Club.

Sure, Kyrgios will have to get by Fernando Verdasco in the first round. And granted, there’s a chance that Kyrgios (or even Wawrinka) will again treat this potential second round match as an inconvenience and gift the victory away.

But with the US Open just around the corner both players will want to get as much matchplay as possible. And in a match between a top-notch Wawrinka and a top-notch Kyrgios, we could only expect fireworks.

(Premature) Prediction: Wawrinka in 3.

Next: Radwanska vs Kerber