Tsitsipas faces early hurdle in high-flying Kyrgios in third-round Wimbledon showdown

London: Stefanos Tsitsipas’ new-found love for grass will face a stern test when the Greek fourth seed faces red-hot Nick Kyrgios in their third-round showdown at Wimbledon today.

Tsitsipas won his maiden grasscourt title in Mallorca last week and has carried that form into Wimbledon, showing glimpses of the quality that has helped him triumph on other surfaces.

But in fiery Australian Kyrgios, Tsitsipas faces a player who relishes playing on grass and has been in dazzling form himself, firing 24 aces and 50 winners in his straight-sets demolition of Filip Krajinovic in the previous round.

“Nick has more matches on me in these courts. He claims to like grass. I think his game is good for the grass,” Tsitsipas told reporters after his win against Jordan Thompson.

'Something great'

“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.”

The two met in Halle leading up to Wimbledon, with the Australian coming out on top and improving his head-to-head record against Tsitsipas to 3-1.

“We’re two of the biggest stars in the sport. Hopefully if we both bring our best tennis, it’s going to be amazing to watch,” said Kyrgios.