Photo Credit: Adelaide International Facebook
He’s done it again.
Local legend Thanasi Kokkinakis has defeated top seed Andrey Rublev in a stunning upset at Adelaide International 2, clearing his path to the quarter-finals at the ATP 250 event.
In a nail-biting night, Kokkinakis held off a mid-match recovery from Rublev, remaining largely dominant behind his trademark serve. He won 86 per cent of points behind his first delivery, blocking any potential comeback for Rublev and securing the third Top 10 victory of his career 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.
He told ATP that serving was a major part of his game, and that delivering as many un-returnables as possible gives him the chance to “beat a lot of guys”.
The 26 year old now has an 11-2 record in his hometown across 2022 and 2023 making him the highest scoring player in that timeframe. But there’s no cooling down yet. Next up, Kokkinakis will play Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic, who earlier defeated Aussie Jason Kubler 5-7, 7-6(1), 6-4.
Other court action last night saw South Korean Soonwoo Kwon take out acclaimed Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta for the second Top 20 win of his career.
Where: Adelaide International 2, War Memorial Dr, Adelaide SA 5006
When: 2-15th January 2023
For more information, refer to the Adelaide International website for results, line-ups and tickets.
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