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Kyrgios gets his first crack at Federer

Rising Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios will get a crack at world No.2 Roger Federer after breezing into the second round of the Madrid Masters.

Kyrgios blitzed Spanish qualifier Daniel Gimeno-Traver 6-2 6-3 in 61 minutes on Wednesday AEST, sending down 10 aces to effortlessly march into the next round.

“I knew it was going to be a tough match,” Kyrgios said.

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“He has a lot of confidence on the clay, so I knew I had to play my style of tennis out there, and that’s what happened.”

Waiting for him, however, is Federer, who enjoyed a first-up bye.

The match, to be played on red clay, will serve as an early test for the 20-year-old ahead of the French Open later this month.

“Roger is the greatest of all time,” Kyrgios said.

“I’m not going to do anything different to prepare. I’m just going to go out there, play my game and whatever happens, happens.

“If I go down, or if I win, I’m going to do it the same way as I always have.”

Kyrgios is in impressive form, having reached his first ATP final last week – losing to Richard Gasquet at the Estoril Open – which has seen him enjoy a rankings jump up to No.35.

Meanwhile, Grigor Dimitrov progressed after his opponent, Donald Young, was forced to retire due to a back injury.

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