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A history of one of the game's most exciting young rivalries
The rivalry between Nick Kyrgios and Alexander Zverev might be young, but it is certainly not lacking in intrigue.

Kyrgios and "Sascha" Zverev are two of the game’s most prolific talents and have notched impressive victories over the sport’s greats on some of the biggest stages in their burgeoning careers. Kyrgios burst onto the scene in 2014 in a stunning Wimbledon upset over Rafael Nadal, while Zverev announced his arrival in 2017, becoming the youngest players to win multiple ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles in one season since Novak Djokovic 10 years prior.

The two have clashed five times in their careers, with Kyrgios holding a slight edge in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, 3-2. The rivalry garners interest not solely due to each player’s respective accolades at such young ages, but also due to the stark contrast in their styles of play.

Although both are natural showmen, their technical and tactical approaches couldn’t be more varied. While Zverev prefers to hug the baseline and dictate with vicious angled backhands to open the court for winners, Kyrgios employs unpredictable changes of pace, spin and direction – in addition to the odd trick shot – to keep his opponents off balance. So when the two have had the chance to stare each other down at opposite sides of the net, the resulting clash has often possessed the same kind of dynamism and thrill that has characterised the game’s great rivalries of the past.

ATPWorldTour.com looks at their five previous FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings...

2018 Davis Cup World Group First Round, Brisbane, Hard, Zverev d. Kyrgios 6-2, 7-6(3), 6-2
Having both made earlier exits at the Australian Open than anticipated, Kyrgios and Zverev headed into an eagerly anticipated opening-round tie in the Davis Cup World Group. The Australia-Germany tie was played in Brisbane on the very court that Kyrgios had won an ATP World Tour title less than a month prior.

One wouldn’t have thought that Zverev, two days prior, had played an epic fifth-set tie-break victory over #NextGenATP Alex de Minaur, as he was firing out of the gates, breaking the normally lethal Kyrgios serve twice in the opening set for the most lop-sided set win of the rivalry. The home favourite would find another gear in the second set, but Zverev would match it, saving all four break points he faced, including two set points before sealing the second set in a tie-break on the first set point of his own.

The third set was largely a formality, as Kyrgios struggled with an apparent elbow injury – one that would eventually keep him out of the game for over a month to recover from – while Zverev sealed victory with same confident tennis that saw him triumph against his rival in August 2017 at Montreal.

2017 China Open Semi-final, Beijing, Hard, Kyrgios d. Zverev 6-3, 7-5
In their final meeting of 2017 at the ATP World Tour 500 event in China, Kyrgios would earn revenge for his straight-sets defeat a few months prior in Montreal. The match, as it was in each of their previous meetings, was decided by a single break of serve in each set; and this time the Canberra native was the one able to make the crucial breakthrough on his return games.

On the quick-paced Diamond Court, in front of a capacity crowd of nearly 15,000 eager fans, the young rivals produced captivating tennis, with Kyrgios’ serve firing on all cylinders and Zverev looking for as many cross-court backhands as possible. The opening game of the second set was particularly electric, with Kyrgios attacking the net and dispatching a miracle passing shot to generate break points on the German’s serve. Although the Australian would fail to convert the first of his break opportunities, Kyrgios was able to grab the advantage at the last possible moment on a Zverev double fault.

One game – and one broken racquet – later, the match was over. Kyrgios would fall to Nadal in the final, but ultimately nudged ahead in his FedEx ATP Head2Head with Zverev as a result of the semi-final victory.


2017 Rogers Cup Third Round, Montreal, Hard, Zverev d. Kyrgios 6-4, 6-3
Zverev, now 20 years old and with an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title under his belt, walked onto the Centre Court of Uniprix Stadium with swagger he hadn’t possessed in his previous matches with Kyrgios and it showed in his play.

Now ranked higher than his Australian rival, Zverev played like the number next to his name, and he completely reversed the script. In their first two encounters, the German was unable to break the Kyrgios serve. This time around, it was he who was dominant behind the first shot, not once relinquishing a break to a frustrated Kyrgios.

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The match would end up being just one minute shorter than the first in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, and Zverev would go on to claim his second ATP World Tour Masters 1000 later in the week, defeating Roger Federer in the final.

2017 Miami Open presented by Itau Quarter-final, Hard, Kyrgios d. Zverev 6-4, 6-7(9), 6-3
Fans wouldn’t need to wait long for a re-match of Kyrgios and Zverev’s first career meeting. The two met in the quarter-finals of the Miami Open and both navigated through tricky draws – surviving third-set tiebreakers along the way – to eventually set up a primetime showdown under the lights at Crandon Park.

The first set, for the most part, followed a similar script to their encounter in Indian Wells: Kyrgios was dominant on serve, produced crowd-rousing hot shots, and broke at the last moment to earn the set in 42 minutes. Zverev, however, would stop the redux there, contesting a titanic second set and saving three match points in the tie-break with a couple stunning shots of his own to eventually claim it 11/9. However, the Aussie was ultimately able to wrestle the momentum back in his favour, claiming victory on his sixth match point on a blistering service winner.

Despite being disappointed by the result, the German wunderkind was encouraged by his performance compared to their match just weeks prior. “I'm a competitor. That's my job. I will always leave everything out there, like I did today.”

Zverev also acknowledged the friendship he holds with Kyrgios off court, respecting their companionship but not at the cost of competition.

“Sometimes you come up short. It's not difficult. I think any competitor in this world will find a way to separate friendship from competitive nature I think.”

Read Match Report & Watch Highlights


2017 BNP Paribas Open Third Round, Indian Wells, Hard, Kyrgios d. Zverev 6-3, 6-4
Kyrgios and Zverev played for the first time at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden at the start of 2017, in what would be the first of four meetings that season. In a nightmare quarter of the draw that included Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Juan Martin del Potro, this first-time matchup between the ATP World Tour’s brightest rising stars still managed to steal the headlines.

On a warm afternoon in near-perfect conditions, the Australian’s extra years of experience were on display early, breaking the Zverev serve in the third game of the match. In what a disappointed Zverev would ultimately describe as “the worst match I played all year,” Kyrgios wouldn’t let the 19-year-old German into the match, blasting ace after ace and not once facing danger on his serve. Zverev kept the match close in the second, but Kyrgios, courtesy of a few highlight reel shots, eventually sealed victory on a break of serve after one hour, 14 minutes.

“He's young and will have a great career, and we will play each other many more times,” said Kyrgios in press after the mach. “So I'm well aware of that, but I don't go into that match thinking, ‘I must win this.’ I don't add stupid pressure on myself. I'm only human. If I make a mistake, I make a mistake.

“I was well aware this was a big match, but no real added pressure.”

Eight men are left standing after a packed day of matches in the round of 16 at the 2018 Miami Open.

Isner – Chung, del Potro – Raonic, Carreno Busta – Anderson, and Zverev – Coric. These matchups will winnow down those eight to four semifinalists.

John Isner battled second-seeded Marin Cilic, overcoming the Croatian US Open champion in two sets 7-6(0), 6-3. Isner didn’t face a single break point, serving up 12 aces en route to the quarters.

Isner will face Hyeon Chung, the No. 19 seed, who ended Joao Sousa’s run by a score of 6-4, 6-3 in just over an hour. Isner will reclaim the American No. 1 ranking on Monday regardless of the result of his match with Chung, but with a win would return to the ATP top 10.

Juan Martin del Potro once again had the support of the crowd in his 6-4, 6-2 win over Filip Krajinovic. The 2009 US Open champion is trying to become the 11th player to complete the Sunshine Double by winning Indian Wells and the Miami Open in the same year.

Del Potro will have to get through Milos Raonic to achieve that feat. Raonic easily handled Frenchman Jeremy Chardy 6-3, 6-4 as he continues to regain the form that brought him to the Wimbledon final in 2016.

In the top half, the absence of Roger Federer has left a vacuum that each quarterfinalist is hoping to fill.

16th-seeded Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta cruised to a straights win over countryman Fernando Verdasco 6-0, 6-3. Carreno Busta will play sixth-seeded Kevin Anderson in a rematch of their 2017 US Open semifinal that Anderson won.

Anderson advanced to the quarterfinals by way of a 7-6(3), 6-3 win over American Frances Tiafoe, who was having the most successful run of his career at a Masters event. Tiafoe actually finished his third round match with Tomas Berdych earlier in the day, as it was delayed by rain Monday night.

No. 29 seed Borna Coric was able to get by Denis Shapovalov in an evenly-matched affair that saw the two young stars engage in some ferocious rallies. Shapovalov was on serve with a chance to extend the match at 5-all in the third, but three double-faults got him into a 15-40 hole that he couldn’t dig himself out of. Coric would get the break, sealing the 7-6(2), 4-6, 6-4 win.

Coric will take on the highest remaining seed in the draw: No. 4 Alexander Zverev. The 20-year-old German, who needed two comebacks to get through the second and third rounds, overcame 17th-seeded Nick Kyrgios’ 11 aces for a 6-4, 6-4 fourth round victory under the lights at Crandon Park.

For full results, visit miamiopen.com/2018-results.

About the Miami Open presented by Itaú

The 2018 Miami Open will be played March 19-April 1 at the Crandon Park Tennis Center in Miami. The two-week combined event is owned and operated by IMG. The Miami Open is one of nine ATP Masters 1000 Series events on the ATP calendar, a Premier Mandatory event on the WTA calendar, and features the top men's and women's tennis players in the world. The tournament is widely regarded as the most glamorous on the ATP and WTA calendars because of its exotic Miami location, thriving nightlife, five-star hotels and restaurants, beautiful weather and beaches, and its celebrity appeal. For ticket information, call +1.305.442.3367 or visit www.miamiopen.com.

About Itaú

Itau is the largest Latin America privately owned bank, with approximately 94,000 employees and operations in 19 countries throughout the Americas, Asia and Europe. Itaú’s relationship with sport goes back to the 1970s, when Itaú first sponsored the Itaú Tennis Cup in Brazil in 1970. Itaú has been a sponsor of the Miami Open for the last six years, and also sponsors the Rio Open, the only combined ATP/WTA event in South America. Itaú also supports the Brazilian Women’s Tennis Circuit, only female professional tournament in South America, certified by the Brazilian Tennis Confederation (CBT) and the International Tennis Federation (ITF), as well as the Tennis Institute Training Center, responsible for the development of young, new talent.

About IMG

IMG is a global leader in sports, fashion, events and media, operating in more than 30 countries. The company represents and manages some of the world’s greatest sports figures and fashion icons; stages hundreds of live events and branded entertainment experiences annually; and is one of the largest independent producers and distributors of sports media. IMG also specializes in sports training; league development; and marketing, media and licensing for brands, sports organizations and collegiate institutions.