Dominic Thiem vs Nick Kyrgios
12th February from 0100hrs
Tennis – Australia – Australian Open
Pick Thiem -1.5 Set Handicap
Bookmaker Bet365
Odds: 13/10 odds taken 2000 GMT, Wednesday 10th February
This is the headlining match of the Australian Open 2021 Third Round draw. It pits reigning US Open champions Dominic Thiem against home favourite Nick Kyrgios.
Thiem won the one previous meeting between the two players and he is favourite to come out on top again.
But Kyrgios is such a dangerous wildcard on his day. Will he be able to give the home support a massive cheer?
Table of Contents
Dominic Thiem Preview – Can Thiem dominate Kyrgios?
Heading into this third round match at the Australian Open, Dominic Thiem is the current 1/4 odds-on favourite* (odds taken 2000 GMT, Wednesday 10th February).
So he is the one that the bookmakers clearly fear the most in this matchup and that’s reasonable.
The Australian made his breakthrough by winning his first Grand Slam title at last year’s US Open.
He has come out in fine style so far at Melbourne Park as he looks to win the Australian Open title to his credentials.
Theim has won both of his matches in straight sets so far at this event.
He dropped 11 games only in the first match and then just six in his second.
So he does look nice and sharp early on. A Thiem -5.5 games handicap for tennis betting is at 10/11* (odds taken 2000 GMT, Wednesday 10th February).
Thiem did reach the final of last year’s Australian Open where Novak Djokovic bested him in a terrific five-set encounter.
That was the best finish at the Australian Open for Thiem in his career, not having made it past the fourth round before that.
Thiem has met Kyrgios once before in his career. The Austrian won that match by default as his opponent retired.
That was a long time ago in Nice, France in 2015.
Nick Kyrgios Preview – Does Kyrgios have a major upset in him?
Well, the story of Nick Krygios is pretty well known and already he has been putting on a show.
There has been racquet smashing, on-court cursing and underarm serves already from him at the 2021 Australian Open.
The Australian Opened the tournament easily enough in a straight-sets victory over Portugal’s Frederico Silva.
But then he found himself embroiled in a long five-set battle with France’s Ugo Humbert.
Only a fourth-set tiebreaker victory kept Kyrgios in the match before he went on to claim the deciding set 6-4.
That was a lot of energy expended ahead of having to go on and now face one of the tournament’s front runners.
In the match outright, Kyrgios is a big 3/1 outsider for success* (odds taken 2000 GMT, Wednesday 10th February).
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Nick Kyrgios is either hot or cold. We saw that against Humberto at times when he was just quiet and being dominated.
But then when his back was against the wall, he came to life and showed some real fighting qualities.
The thing is, he’s not as likely to be let off the hook by Thiem, a much stronger opponent.
There were vulnerabilities in his second-round match and a Thiem 3-0 option in set betting does have some appeal at a quote of 6/5* (odds taken 2000 GMT, Wednesday 10th February).
For all the talent he has, the Australian has only been past the fourth round of his home Grand Slam once.
He hasn’t achieved that in any Grand Slam since the 2015 Australian Open.
Dominic Thiem vs Nick Kyrgios Betting Advice
Thiem should get through this match. He’s calm and collected enough to play down whatever is going on on the other side of the net.
We think he is too much stronger of the two in current form and because of that we are pushing for the 3-0 Sets Handicap option for Thiem at 6/5* (odds taken 2000 GMT, Wednesday 10th February).
Thiem made huge strides under Grand Slam conditions last year and can progress further here.
Key Facts – Dominic Thiem vs Nick Kyrgios Betting Tip
- Dominic Thiem won the only previous meeting with Kyrgios on a walkover
- Dominic Thiem reached last year’s Australian Open Final
- Nick Kyrgios needed five sets to win his second round match
The highlights of the Kyrgios game are just a bit few and far between. He really didn’t start playing until he was down in the fourth set against Humberto.
So while he has been the one, with his antics to set the tournament into party mode, we think he falls.
We think that Kyrgios struggles to make too much of an impact here and a Thiem -1.5 Set Handicap is worth a look at 13/10* (odds taken 2000 GMT, Wednesday 10th February).
The best betting odds for Dominic Thiem vs Nick Kyrgios
Dominic Thiem to win: 1/4 at Bet365
Nick Kyrgios to win: 3/1 at Bet365
