Giant-killer Kokkinakis making up for lost time at US Open, de ...
Thanasi Kokkinakis has vowed to make up for his years lost to injury after slaying a top-20 rival for the second straight grand slam as part of an extraordinary Australian uprising.
The 28-year-old self-described “part-timer” had not won a match at the US Open in five years, but changed that in spectacular fashion to blast Greek star Stefanos Tsitsipas off the court in a statement 7-6 (7-5), 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 triumph on a steamy New York afternoon.
Kokkinakis was one of six Australians – along with 10th seed Alex de Minaur, Jordan Thompson, wildcard Tristan Schoolkate, Max Purcell and Chris O’Connell – to progress to the second round on Wednesday (AEST).
Qualifier Li Tu also stunned by taking a set off four-time grand slam champion Carlos Alcaraz before eventually going down under the bright lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Loading
Fellow Australians Alexei Popyrin, Maya Joint, Ajla Tomljanovic and Rinky Hijikata won their openers a day earlier, meaning half the country’s 20-strong contingent remain in contention.
Kokkinakis clobbered 47 winners, including 17 aces, and took advantage of a wild Tsitsipas service game at five-all in the fourth set to complete his “incredible” upset of the world No.11 in six minutes short of four hours.
With Lleyton Hewitt and strength-and-conditioning coach Jona Segal among his support crew, Kokkinakis collapsed onto his back in elation on the US Open’s Grandstand court.
“[Tsitsipas is a] hell of a player. I had a five-set battle with him a couple of years ago at the Australian Open, and I was expecting a war,” Kokkinakis said.
“It was physical out there. I have a tendency to sometimes drag these matches on, and have some real long battles, but I just tried to stay focused, stay the course and play every point. I’ve had a couple – a lot – of losses when I’ve been in winning positions, so that one is all relief and mental [strength], so I’m super excited.
“I missed a lot of my career through the middle period, so I’m just trying to make up for whatever I have left and just keep hustling, and we’ll see how we go.”
De Minaur survived a series of hairy moments in the fourth set – including saving break points in his opening two service games – to score a gutsy 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 victory over American Marcos Giron.
It was de Minaur’s first appearance since he withdrew before his Wimbledon quarter-final against Novak Djokovic with a cartilage tear in his right hip.
The rust showed, with the 25-year-old, who was ranked at a career-high No.6 before being sidelined, making only 41 per cent of his first serves and sending down an uncharacteristic 12 double faults, while his flushed face showed the strain of the extreme heat.
Giron appeared to be on top until he crumbled in the ninth game of the fourth set, double-faulting to drop serve to love before de Minaur completed his escape act, after which he let out a guttural roar laced with relief.
An elated Thanasi Kokkinakis celebrates his four-set upset of Stefanos Tsitsipas at the US Open.Credit: Getty Images
Finnish qualifier Otto Virtanen is the next hurdle for Australia’s No.1 player.
Purcell advanced, 7-5, 6-4, 6-3, over Aleks Vukic in an all-Australian affair; Thompson breezed past Frenchman Constant Lestienne 6-1, 6-3, 6-2; and Schoolkate recovered from a two-set hole to claim his maiden grand slam win in a 4-6, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (8-6), 6-4 success over Japan’s Taro Daniel.
“I started on my own and when I turned 18 and was playing in the junior events, I had to do the GoFundMe page just to help pay for things,” Schoolkate said.
“My family doesn’t come from a lot of money and I never made anything in juniors. Obviously, coming into the pros, this is by far the biggest cheque ($AU207,000) I’ve received.”
O’Connell, who withdrew with injury from the French Open and Paris Olympics and played under duress at Wimbledon, made it 10 Australian winners on the first two days when he upset Chilean 26th seed Nicolas Jarry 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.
Daria Saville, wildcard Taylah Preston, James Duckworth and qualifiers Destanee Aiava and Arina Rodionova exited the US Open on day two.
Saville destroyed her racquet after coughing up a 2-0 lead in the final set to lose 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (10-6) to 217th-ranked Japanese qualifier Ena Shibahara, while Russian 25th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova blitzed 18-year-old Preston 6-2, 6-0.
Loading
Fourth-seeded Kazakh Elena Rybakina ousted Aiava 6-1, 7-6 (7-1); China’s Wang Xinyu downed Rodionova 3-6, 6-4, 6-1; and Italian 31st seed Flavio Cobolli beat Duckworth 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.
World No.86 Kokkinakis, who reached the US Open junior final against Borna Coric 11 years ago, has not fully realised his immense potential for various reasons, including injuries, illness and a self-admission of complacency at times.
There are signs this year that the talented South Australian could yet make his mark.
The Tsitsipas triumph comes hot on the heels of his five-set thriller against Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime in the opening round of Wimbledon last month, before another knee injury in a mid-match slip saw him withdraw in his next contest.
Kokkinakis also pushed top-10 Pole Hubert Hurkacz to three sets in the round of 32 at the Montreal Masters, so he is in good form ahead of a second-round US Open date with Portugal’s Nuno Borges.
“I have the ultimate belief in my game. I felt like my body was holding me back for a long period of time,” Kokkinakis said.
Jordan Thompson is into the second round at the US Open.Credit: Getty Images
“Everyone is so good here, from top to bottom … so I’m not taking it for granted. I’m just trying to go as well as I can and put as much effort into this sport as I can. I’ve maybe taken it a bit for granted in the past, when I was a bit younger, so I’m just giving it a go.
“This is why you play – to play on big stadiums in massive cities, so it’s an incredible feeling. It’s a bit embarrassing doing it [celebrating] after a first round, but I’ll take it. Every match means a lot.”
Loading
Kokkinakis staved off three separate break points in the third game of the third set, then another four games later, in what proved a critical juncture in the match.
With the momentum seemingly in Tsitsipas’ favour, the Greek 11th seed stumbled from 40-0 up at 3-4 to concede serve. There was a sloppy forehand then a double fault before Kokkinakis hammered a superb down-the-line backhand winner to get back to deuce.
Kokkinakis enjoyed some fortune when his defensive backhand lob landed on the baseline on the next point to help him bring up break point. That was when he took matters into his own hands.
Tsitsipas serve-volleyed on a second serve – a tactic he turned to several times with mixed results – only for Kokkinakis to deliver a rocket forehand that to snatch the break.
The Aussie clinched the third set a game later, then hung tough to five-all in the fourth, when Tsitsipas committed a wild double fault and consecutive forehand errors to put Kokkinakis near victory. – with AAP
Watch every match of the 2024 US Open ad-free, live and on demand on Stan Sport with select matches live on 9GO and streaming on 9Now.
Loading
