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Big serve proves tricky for Kyrgios to return
By Marc McGowan
Hard to be more impressive on serve than Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard’s first two goes with the ball against Nick Kyrgios.
Only two aces, but hasn’t lost any first-serve points and Kyrgios barely made a return.
On the rare occasion he did, Mpetshi Perricard typically thundered a winner the other way.
Kyrgios takes to the court
We’re into the action on Pat Rafter Arena in Brisbane.
Mpetshi Perricard to serve first and the Frenchman gets through his game swiftly, registering a 211 km/h serve to close out the game in two minutes.
Kyrgios: ‘I don’t know how many Aussie summers I’ve got left’
Here’s what Kyrgios had to say after his doubles match last night.
Who is Kyrgios’ opponent?
The name Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard might not be too familiar with the average tennis fan, but he’s making big waves on tour.
The 21-year-old Frenchman has the fastest serve on tour, with his fastest serve registering at a whopping 244.6km/h at the French Open last year.
Kyrgios’ serve is also one of his greatest weapons, so let’s see if these two can find a return and get into some rallies.
France’s Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.Credit: Getty Images
Djokovic: ‘It is a pleasure’
Updates from around the grounds
We’ve had a few Aussies in action already this morning, so here’s the rundown.
- Italian Matteo Arnaldi defeated Alexei Popyrin 6-3, 6-2 first up this morning, with Arnaldi proving too strong for the Australian.
- Aussie duo James Duckworth and Aleksander Vukic defeated American-Chilean pair Alex Michelsen and Alejandro Tabilo 6-3, 6-2 in the men’s doubles. They’ll next play Finland’s Harri Heliovaara and Great Britain’s Henry Patten.
- Meanwhile, Australian Adam Walton was defeated 7-6 (7-5), 6-3 by American Frances Tiafoe.
Watch: Dynamic duo highlights
Kyrgios and Djokovic’s doubles match
Let’s first talk about last night’s doubles because it was awesome.
We had vintage Djokovic and classic Kyrgios in front of a packed arena in Brisbane last night.
Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios celebrate winning their mens’s doubles match against Andreas Mies and Alexander Erler.Credit: Getty Images
They’ve been dubbed tennis’ odd couple, but the pair complimented each other well once they got into the flow of the match and were able to secure a 6-4, 6-7 (4-7), 10-8 victory over German-Austrian duo Alexander Erler and Andreas Mies.
Read more about the match, and it’s magical moments, here.
Welcome
Good afternoon tennis fans, and welcome to our live coverage of Nick Kyrgios’ return to singles tennis.
Billie Eder here to take you through the action today, with Marc McGowan on the ground in Brisbane.
We’ve already seen a glimpse of Kyrgios’ return, after he teamed up with Novak Djokovic in the doubles last night, but singles is a beast of its own.
More on that doubles match, and Kyrgios’ opponent, soon.
Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios between games in Brisbane.Credit: Getty Images
