Dominic Thiem vs Nick Kyrgios Prediction | Stats | H2H: Australian Open 2021

A standout fixture of the 3rd round in the Australian Open 2021 sees 2nd seed, Dominic Thiem, go head to head against Nick Kyrgios.

Dominic Thiem vs Nick Kyrgios Prediction:

Dominic Thiem coasted to a straight-set victory beating German Dominik Koepfer 6-4 6-0 6-2 in 1 hour and 39 minutes. The Austrian hit 7 aces, 34 winners and won 81% of his first-serve points. 

On the other hand, Nick Kyrgios edged past 29th seed, Ugo Humbert, in a five-set thriller in the second round. Trailing by two sets to one against the Frenchman, the Australian was motivated by the support of the vociferous crowd on the John Cain Arena as he took the remaining two sets and also saved two match points to pocket the match. 

In a 56-ace slugfest between the players, Kyrgios smashed 29 aces and clinched 79% of his first-serve points.

Thiem leads the head to head record 1-0 against Kyrgios. This is their first meeting on hard courts. Thiem was leading 4-3 in the pre-quarterfinals of the Nice Open in 2015 against Kyrgios when the Australian retired hurt.

 "Now I feel old, I just want to have a glass of red wine after my match, I am hurting thinking about playing Thiem right now, he is one of the best players in the world," said Kyrgios in a lighthearted banter about Thiem after his marathon victory against Humbert. 

The Australian has been taking a lot of points with his clever backhand passing shots and returning the serves by stepping inside the baseline. Kyrgios reached the fourth round in the tournament last year losing to Rafael Nadal in four sets. 

Thiem has been firing on all cylinders with his powerful groundstrokes doing enough damage. The Austrian has also improved his volleying skills at the net. He will target a maiden title at Melbourne Park after falling short in the final in 2020 losing in five sets to Novak Djokovic. 

"In general, it was a super good match, first of all, he was on fire at the beginning, the conditions were, I think, the hottest day since we arrived in Australia, so I had to get used to that," opined Thiem quite satisfied with his dominating performance.

Statistical Comparison of Thiem and Kyrgios in this year's tournament

The key numbers for Thiem that will directly impact his performance

The vital stats for Kyrgios that will influence his winning chances

Performance of Thiem and Kyrgios in last 5 Australian Opens

Record in the last 10 matches before coming into the Australian Open

Thiem -  WLLWLWWLWW (6 wins and 4 losses)

Kyrgios - LWWLLWWWLW (6 wins and 4 losses)

While there is no difference in talent between these two players as they have beaten the big players many times in their careers, Thiem is more consistent having won ATP Masters titles and a grand slam in his career. Kyrgios is highly-rated but he does not utilize his potential fully due to his care-free attitude. 

Thiem has a better record in grand slams and looks in better form than an inconsistent Kyrgios. The crowd will play a major role in fluctuating the turn of events in what promises to be a classic of a match.

Prediction - Dominic Thiem to win in four sets

Featured Image Credits - Tennis TV