Kokkinakis upsets Evans at the French Open, Sabalenka and Hunter ...
Updated May 29, 2023 — 2.09am
Paris: Thanasi Kokkinakis and Storm Hunter have given Australia a flying start to the French Open with a pair of rousing first-round upset victories in Paris on Sunday.
Kokkinakis – ranked 108 – made short work of his match against Brit Dan Evans, the tournament’s 20th seed, winning in straight sets 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 on court 7.
Thanasi Kokkinakis en route to a straight-sets win over Dan Evans during round one of the French Open on Sunday.Credit: Getty Images
The injury-plagued Australian blasted winner after winner to notch his first success at Roland Garros since reaching the third round as a teenager back in 2015.
Guaranteed a return to the world’s top 100, the 27-year-old will have the chance to equal that last-32 grand slam showing on Wednesday against either Switzerland’s 2015 French Open champion Stan Wawrinka or Spanish veteran Albert Ramos-Vinolas.
Hunter continued her brilliant run from qualifying with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 defeat of higher-ranked Spaniard Nuria Parrizas Diaz.
The 28-year-old Australian rallied from a service break down in the deciding set to join Sophie Ferguson (2010) as only the second Australian woman to progress to the second round at Roland Garros as a qualifier.
Storm Hunter during her round-one win over Nuria Parrizas Diaz.Credit: Getty Images
Ranked 110 places below Parrizas Diaz at world No.204, Hunter refused to throw in the towel after surrendering a 4-2 lead to drop the first set after losing four straight games. Hunter next faces the winner of the match between Elina Svitolina and 26th seed Martina Trevisan.
Of the other Australians in action on day one, Jason Kubler beat Facundo Diaz Costa, of Argentina, in five hard-fought sets, 1-6,6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 6-1.
Kimberly Birrell, the only other Australian in action on Sunday, was playing Frenchwoman Leolia Jeanjean.
Elsewhere, Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka powered into the second round of the French Open with a 6-3 6-2 win over Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk in a feisty clash to start the year’s second grand slam on Sunday, but was left perplexed by jeering from some parts of the crowd.
Some booing and jeering could be heard after the match as Kostyuk refused to shake hands with her opponent, having said beforehand that she would not do so with Russian and Belarusian players due to Moscow’s invasion of its neighbour.
Sabalenka, who appeared to sarcastically bow to the crowd following the win, said she initially thought the boos were aimed at her.
“It was a very tough match, I mean tough emotionally. I’m sorry guys, I didn’t get it at first, I thought this booing was against me so I was a little surprised,” she said.
“But then I felt your support, so thank you so much.”
The world No.2 has previously said she has nothing against Ukrainian people and felt bad for them as Moscow’s invasion rages on. Belarus has been a staging ground for Russia’s actions.
Aryna Sabalenka after her first-round win at Roland Garros.Credit: Getty
Sabalenka said she understood Kostyuk’s decision to skip customary post-match handshakes with Russian and Belarusian players.
“I understand why they’re not shaking hands with us. I can imagine if they shake hands with us, what’s going to happen to them from the Ukrainian side. I understand that this isn’t personal. That’s it,” Sabalenka said. “I think she didn’t deserve to leave the court that way (to boos).”
Sabalenka appeared in a spot of bother on her serve early on and fell behind 2-3, but the unseeded Kostyuk could not build on her advantage and the Australian Open champion struck back immediately with a powerful crosscourt volley on breakpoint.
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Second seed Sabalenka wrapped up the first set in style in front of a sparse Court Philippe Chatrier crowd before pouncing in the next with an early break and another to go up 4-1, as Kostyuk wilted under the Paris sun.
The Belarusian raised her level again late in the match to save two break points and close out the victory in 71 minutes.
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