By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Friday June 17, 2022
Nick Kyrgios continues to emerge as a force on grass – and a contender to make a deep run at Wimbledon. The Aussie reached the semifinals last week at Stuttgart before falling to Andy Murray, and this week he will attempt to take it a step further after waltzing past sixth-seeded Pablo Carreno Busta 6-4, 6-2 on Friday at the Terra2 Wortmann Open in Halle. 27-year-old Kyrgios improves to an impressive 15-5 clip on the season with his victory over the World No.19, just two days after he past second-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas, 5-7, 6-2, 6-4. The Aussie has won eight of his last ten on grass, dating back to last season, and most importantly finds himself in good health, both mentally and physically, at the moment. Reducing his schedule and taking more time at home could be the perfect recipe to help Kyrgios get the most out of his game on the surface that suits him the best. He has done that this year, playing only sparingly over the last three months. After playing in Houston he took a few months off at home to regroup. He has arrived on the grass with enthusiasm, and is playing with clarity. “I’m feeling so comfortable on the grass," Kyrgios said after producing elevated tennis from start to finish against Carreno Busta. "Today was not easy at all. The scoreline suggest that it was, but he’s a dangerous player on all surfaces. He hits the ball quite flat, and he knows how to win matches. "I knew that today I just had to take care of my serve, and just be locked in from the ground because he’s a tough competitor.” Remarkably, Kyrgios finished the contest with 39 winners against just four unforced errors. 39 Winners. FOUR unforced errors 😱@NickKyrgios #TWO22 pic.twitter.com/of1Ux3XaOK — Tennis TV (@TennisTV) June 17, 2022 The Aussie will face Hubert Hurkacz in the last four at Halle. The Pole edged Felix Auger-Aliassime 7-6(2), 7-6(4) in Friday's last quarterfinal. It was Hurkacz' first win over the Canadian in three tries, and avenged a defeat at Auger-Aliassime's hands from last year at Halle. Otte on the up If you’ve never heard of Germany’s Oscar Otte, maybe know is a good time to get acquainted. The talented 28-year-old took Andy Murray to five sets in the second round at Wimbledon last year – at the time he was ranked 141 and had yet to make his Top-100 debut. This year Otte has progressed rapidly up the rankings. He made his Top-100 debut in January and is slated to crack the Top-40 next week thanks to his performance in Halle. On Friday Otte took out Karen Khachanov, 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 to reach his second semifinal in as many weeks. Otte has been brilliant on home soil this year, reaching semifinals at Munich (clay), Stuttgart, and now his biggest career semifinal at Halle. The moment @OscarOtte reached his first ATP 500 semi-final!@ATPHalle #TWO22 pic.twitter.com/M2OWGNNNUb — Tennis TV (@TennisTV) June 17, 2022 He will face World No.1 Daniil Medvedev in Saturday’s semifinals. Medvedev, who breezed by seventh-seeded Roberto Bautista Agut 6-2, 6-4 on Friday, has now won 13 of his last 15 on grass.
39 Winners. FOUR unforced errors 😱@NickKyrgios #TWO22 pic.twitter.com/of1Ux3XaOK
The moment @OscarOtte reached his first ATP 500 semi-final!@ATPHalle #TWO22 pic.twitter.com/M2OWGNNNUb