Seeking a tournament-opening upset, Australian Open main draw debutant Jacob Fearnley takes on the returning Nick Kyrgios in Monday's first-round action at John Cain Arena.
The rising British player impressed in his Grand Slam debut at last year's Wimbledon and aims to take a major scalp in round one despite his Aussie opponent's lengthy absence from the men's tour.
Match preview
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Heading into his debut Down Under, many observers will remember Edinburgh-born Fearnley from his admirable showing at last year's Championships, when he forced Novak Djokovic into four sets on Centre Court.
By the Serb's own admission, the Brit probably deserved to force a deciding set had the finer details gone his way, highlighting the 23-year-old's potential.
Having needed a wild card entry into the main draw at Wimbledon, Fearnley enters the opening major of 2025 as a direct entrant, and the world No. 86 aims to exploit an undercooked opponent.
Following a breakthrough 2024 that saw the Briton climb over 500 positions to enter the top 100, Fearnley aims to begin the New Year by stunning a one-time Australian Open quarter-finalist on the 29-year-old's home turf.
Such ambitions are not far-fetched, given the 23-year-old's bold approach and Kyrgios's lack of match action in two years.
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Entering this year's Slam with his protected ranking, the 2015 quarter-finalist withdrew on the eve of the 2023 event Down Under and has barely played since due to knee and wrist injuries.
The 29-year-old's last match at a major was a thrilling five-set quarter-final defeat against Karen Khachanov at the 2022 US Open, with the firebrand battling through physical issues since.
A long-awaited return to the tour in Brisbane ended early against big-serving Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, with all three sets going the distance as the Frenchman edged two tie-breaks to the Australian's one.
Although he should take confidence from avoiding breaks of serve in that defeat, receiving treatment on the wrist that required surgery suggests that he might be far from 100% for his tournament opener, giving Fearnley hope of an upset.
It will be fascinating to witness Kyrgios's return to the main draw at a Slam: he has talked the talk, and now he needs to walk the walk.
Head To Head
Both players face off for the first time on the ATP Tour, adding a layer of intrigue heading into Monday's first-round battle.
Kyrgios is undoubtedly more experienced, entering his 10th Australian Open main draw appearance against the debuting Fearnley, whose round-one match against the home player marks only his third encounter at a Major.
The 2015 quarter-finalist has avoided tournament-opening losses in eight of his nine previous appearances Down Under, losing early only to Milos Raonic in 2019.
We say: Kyrgios to win in four sets
Monday's Twilight session could go either way, with Fearnley's dauntless approach bound to pose challenges for the returning Kyrgios.
We back the Australian to edge the emerging British player in four sets, granted he avoids physical setbacks in the tournament opener.
