Awesome Aussie: Nick Kyrgios to face off against Dominic Thiem

After a nail-biting performance against Ugo Humbert, Nick Kyrgios is through to the third-round where he will face World No. 3, Dominic Thiem.

The second-round matches of the Australian Open was a mixed-bag of steam-roll wins and absolute thrillers, and Nick Kyrgios was no stranger to the latter. After saving several match points and dragging out the match to a rollercoaster 5-setter, the Aussie eventually sealed the deal over the Frenchman to set up a highly-anticipated matchup against third-seed Dominic Thiem.

After overcoming Ugo Humbert with a staggering 5-7 6-4 3-6 7-6 6-4 scoreline, Kyrgios will need to get over his post-match fatigue and regather his strength as soon as possible to have any chance at downing the Austrian wall that awaits him. Thiem, who is in hot form entering the third-round having not dropped a single set, is among the top dogs to beat at this year’s Australian Open.

Having met only once before in 2015 at the Nice Open in France, Kyrgios and Thiem have not had much of a rivalry, particularly with Kygrios retiring due to injury in their only ever match. Nevertheless, the young Aussie will be looking to make his country proud, and having the home ground advantage will surely be a factor going into his match with Thiem.

The Aussie, who was in complete awe of his comeback win against Ugo Humbert, admitted that he was finding it difficult to think about his upcoming match against the World No. 3, stating:

"“I just want to have a glass of red wine after my match… I’m hurting thinking about playing Thiem right now.”"

This may be a sign of concern for hometown fans, as Thiem is coming into the match with a full tank after besting his second-round opponent with a very convincing 6-4 6-0 6-2. Following his win, Thiem stated that the match was “the best so far in Australia” and that he had “a lot of good stuff to build on”.

While Thiem is looking and feeling confident about his next round match, Kyrgios may still have a hidden trump card, especially after coming out of a high-pressure match. With only two matches under his belt so far, the young Australian has already shown that he can perform in stressful situations, albeit in his own unique manner, as he saved several match points to claim victory.

In spite of the dramas of the second-round match, Kyrgios has proven once again to thrive in such conditions by openly expressing himself, voicing his opinions to the umpire, and tapping into a very supportive crowd, despite being only half-full. While controversy still lingers over his behavior, Kyrgios has remained a crowd favorite, particularly in Melbourne Park, where his matches have gained a reputation for holding an element of entertainment.

When given the chance to recuperate, Kygrios later gave a more detailed insight into his thoughts going into the third-round match against Thiem, stating:

"“So yeah, I’m expecting him to play his best tennis and I’m not going in there saying I’m playing my best tennis or I’m feeling the best. But I’m going to go in there saying I’ve got a good chance.”"

While Aussie fans will have to accept that he is not in his best form, they can rest assured that Kyrgios has the right mentality going into the match, as the young Aussie looks ready to give it all he’s got. He and Thiem are set to play on Friday the 12th of February.