Kyrgios up against Wimbledon elimination in tough second-round match with Krajinovic

Kieran Francis

Kyrgios up against Wimbledon elimination in tough second-round match with Krajinovic image

Nick Kyrgios was tipped by some as possible winner of Wimbledon 2022 - but the controversial Australian star will be up against it in his second round match with Serbia's 26th seed Filip Krajinovic.

Mostly due to the lack of tennis he has played in 2022, Kyrgios is unseeded at the All England Club, meaning he isn't protected from meeting other seeds in the round of 64.

The Canberran was expected to make light work of 219th-ranked British wildcard Paul Jubb in the first round but instead was given a mighty fight, struggling with his emotions, spitting at the crowd and criticising a line judge in a 3-6 6-1 7-5 6-7(3) 7-5 victory across three hours and nine minutes.

He now meets 30-year-old journeyman Krajinovic in the second round - with the Serbian playing close to the best tennis of his career after an impressive month on the court.

Krajinovic, currently ranked 31, is only five spots away from a career-high ranking (26) after reaching the round-of-32 at the French Open (lost to Felix Auger-Aliassime) and the final at Wimbledon warm-up tournament Queen's Club (lost to Matteo Berrettini).

His first round match at Wimbledon also went to five sets, as he came back from a set behind twice to defeat Czech youngster Jiri Lehecka 5-7 6-4 6-7(5) 7-6(5) 6-4.

While the bookies have Kyrgios as hot favourite to win this match, in reality it's an evenly-poised contest that either player can win in their current form.

It's also worth noting that Kyrgios pulled out of ATP Mallorca 250 last week with an abdominal issue, meaning he is unlikely to be 100 per cent at Wimbledon.

Nick Kyrgios Wimbledon
Getty Images

In other Australian matches on day four at Wimbledon, Jordan Thompson has a sneaky chance against fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas.

The Greek has generally struggled to play his best tennis on grass courts, although he did manage to win the ATP Mallorca last week, but he battled at times against weaker opponents.

On the other hand, grass is Thompson's favourite surface meaning he can definitely challenge the world No.5 if he is at his best.

Ajla Tomljanovic will continue her battle as the only remaining Australian lady in the singles draw with a contest against US qualifier Catherine Harrison.

Alex de Minaur faces a match against British wildcard Jack Draper, while Jason Kubler, fresh from knocking out British 28th seed Dan Evans, will meet Austrian qualifier Dennis Novak.

Kieran Francis

Kieran Francis Photo

Kieran Francis is a senior editor at The Sporting News based in Melbourne, Australia. He started at Sportal.com.au before being a part of the transition to Sporting News in 2015. Just prior to the 2018 World Cup, he was appointed chief editor of Goal.com in Australia. He has now returned to The Sporting News where his passions lay in football, AFL, poker and cricket - when he is not on holiday.