US Clay Court Championship LIVE: The clay court season in the ATP tour has kickstarted with the US Clay Court Championship at Houston. Follow InsideSport.IN for more updates.
US Clay Court Championship LIVE: Reilly Opelka comes from behind to beat Mitchell Krueger, Nick Kyrgios has it easy against Tommy Paul – Follow LIVE updates
American shuttler Reilly Opelka came from behind to beat fellow countryman Mitchell Krueger 3-6, 6-2, 6-4. On the other hand, Nick Kyrgios registered an easy win against Tommy Paul by 6-4, 6-2 margin.
US Clay Court Championships LIVE:
The tournament began on 4th April 2022 and the finals will be played on 10th April, Sunday. Currently the second round fixtures are ongoing in the tournament. The tournament is part of ATP 250 series and has the participation of players like Indian Wells Masters champion Taylor Fritz, Fourth seed John Isner and Australian Nick Kyrgios among many others.
US Clay Court Championship – Second round fixtures
Nick Kyrgios beat Tommy Paul
Nick Kyrgios is showing no rust on clay.
Before arriving in Houston, the Australian had not competed on the surface since 2019. However, the wild card has played well on the red dirt, and on Wednesday he defeated American Tommy Paul 6-4, 6-2 to reach the quarter-finals of the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship.
“He’s a very good player. He’s young and he’s already shown what he can do and who he can beat,” Kyrgios said in his on-court interview. “I had to be locked in today and I knew that I had to serve well. It’s probably one of the better matches I’ve played on clay in my career, so I’m pretty happy with the way I came out here today, just put my head down and went to work.”
Always putting on a show, @NickKyrgios 😁#USClay | 🎥 @tennistv pic.twitter.com/85yACRuXK0
— Fayez Sarofim & Co. US Clay (@mensclaycourt) April 6, 2022
Paul is a proven clay-court competitor, having won the 2015 Roland Garros boys’ singles title. But Kyrgios was in control throughout the 70-minute match, in which he saved all six break points he faced. The 26-year-old hit 10 aces and won 88 per cent of his first-serve points to earn a quarter-final clash against lucky loser Michael Mmoh.
“I’ve been serving really well, so I just wanted to keep to good habits,” Kyrgios said.
Reilly Opelka beat Mitchell Krueger
Reilly Opelka was not always at his best Wednesday, but it was enough to earn a win in Houston.
The third seed defeated qualifier Mitchell Krueger 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals of the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship after one hour and 53 minutes.
“He played well, I think he came out swinging. I think he was free, I wasn’t. It’s a different situation,” Opelka said. “He’s playing free on that court and I hadn’t played a match on clay yet. He was three matches in, so it changes the momentum. It was a good opportunity for him to play free and get a win and I’m a guy that hasn’t always been the most consistent, especially changing surfaces, so I think it was a good win.”
Opelka entered the match having lost just 13 service games in 19 matches this season, but he was broken twice in the first set against Krueger. The World No. 18 has been dealing with a right shoulder injury that forced him to retire from his opening match at the Miami Open presented by Itau against Francisco Cerundolo, and he said it still bothers him on his devastating kick serve.
So after losing the first set, he decided to not worry about any potential pain in hitting that shot, and went after it, which helped him turn the match around. Opelka hit 15 aces in the match, including a booming one out wide in the Ad court on match point.
Other matches
Taylor Fritz vs Alejandro Tabilo
Steve Johnson vs John Isner
Frances Tiafoe vs Pablo Cuevas
Michael Mmoh vs Sam Querrey
Where to watch US Clay Court Championship LIVE?
US Clay Court Championships will be live streamed on Tennis TV.
US Clay Court Championship LIVE: Reilly Opelka comes from behind to beat Mitchell Krueger, Nick Kyrgios has it easy against Tommy Paul – Follow LIVE updates
