Nick Kyrgio & Thanasi Kokkinakis Blockbuster Headlines US Open Matches To Watch | ATP Tour

There were plenty of intriguing first-round matches when the US Open draw was revealed on Thursday, led by a tantalising clash between close friends Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis.

ATPTour.com highlights five matches to watch in the opening round at Flushing Meadows.

No. 23 Nick Kyrgios vs. Thanasi Kokkinakis
The ‘Special Ks’ have been one of the most exciting doubles teams on the circuit this season. They started their season off with a bang by winning the Australian Open. At the time, Kokkinakis said: “To be a Grand Slam champion with my boy, we have known each other since we were eight, nine years old, done some serious things together, have had some serious experiences, but this is incredible.”

The Australians often refer to each other as “brothers”, but only one can advance to the second round at Flushing Meadows. Their first-round clash will be their first ATP Head2Head meeting and first match against one another since they competed on the ATP Challenger Tour in 2014.

Kyrgios is one of the world’s most in-form players. The 27-year-old has shown the most consistency of his career to reach the final at Wimbledon, win the Washington title and advance to the quarter-finals in Montreal, where he eliminated World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev. However, nobody on Tour knows him better than Kokkinakis, who thrives on the big stages with an aggressive game of his own.

Kokkinakis’ resume includes a win against Roger Federer, and last year he pushed Stefanos Tsitsipas to five sets at the Australian Open. That makes for a blockbuster showdown between the great friends.

No. 12 Pablo Carreno Busta vs. Dominic Thiem
Dominic Thiem will have to be sharp for his first match at the US Open since lifting his maiden major trophy at Flushing Meadows two years ago. The Austrian will face 12th seed Pablo Carreno Busta, who recently claimed his first ATP Masters 1000 title in Montreal.

Thiem has struggled to find his best form since returning from a wrist injury in March. He does have one thing on his side, though: a 7-0 ATP Head2Head advantage against Carreno Busta. One of those clashes came at the US Open in 2016, when Thiem rallied for a four-set victory.

Form tilts in the Spaniard’s direction after his Canadian breakthrough, and his solid baseline game will force the Austrian to come up with the spectacular winners he has…