Stefanos Tsitsipas and Nick Kyrgios spar later today in the third round of Wimbledon. The hothouse talents tease an instant classic, with the winner likely to offer Rafael Nadal his sternest challenge from this end of the draw. The 5th seeded Tsitsipas has been imperious on occasions, but the dips are never far away. Beginning poorly against Swiss Alexander Ritschard, he recovered to ease to a four-set victory. Rocking up to round two, Australian Jordan Thompson was spared no punches in a thrilling straight-sets demolition!

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Kyrgios has fluctuated wildly in his two skirmishes. Kicking off against British teenager and wildcard Paul Jubb, the madcap Aussie won out in a wild five-setter, kicking up beef with spectators and umpire alike. Having admitted to aiming his phlegm in the direction of some pesky fans, he had to cough up a $10,000 fine. Unperturbed, the 27-year-old put together 90 minutes of electrifying tennis against Serbian 26th seed Filip Krajinovic in the next round. Kyrgios was unplayable on the day, as he littered the court with a bagful of winners while serving without mercy! Sniping back at critics, the Aussie warned that “it is just not possible” to “tear me down”.

The pair have a chequered history, taking in swipes on social media to their now-on-and-off-court camaraderie. Kindred spirits Kyrgios and Tsitsipas have gravitated toward each other, as evidenced by their back-slapping bro-baiting.

The anticipation surrounding their duel is palpable, with the duo feeding fuel to this merry fire. Kyrgios, self-admittedly “comfortable in my own skin”, is ridiculously hard to live with when in the groove, but Tsitsipas admitted to being thrilled by the prospect of facing his once-doubles partner:

“Nick has more matches on me in these courts. He claims to like grass. I think his game is good for the grass. I am definitely thrilled to be facing him. I respect him a lot, on the court, what he’s trying to do. Although he has been a little controversial in the past, I think he’s playing good tennis,” quotes the Express.

“I’m going to try and concentrate on doing my thing and pay attention to my own game from start to finish. Hopefully I can stay there and do something great, have a great competitive match against him,” he added.

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The two have faced off on four occasions, with the Aussie leading 3-1 on head-to-head. In their most recent meeting, Kyrgios came from a set-down to overhaul Tsitsipas in Halle a week before Wimbledon.