Photo Credit: Tennis Australia
Thanasi Kokkinakis has made a momentous start to the second week of Adelaide International, defeating Alexei Popyrin 6-0, 6-7(5), 7-5 in a nail-biting clash that lasted nearly three hours.
Kokkinakis took the lead early on in the match, securing a perfect set in just half an hour. The pressure ramped up, with Popyrin bouncing back for the second set, and Adelaide’s hometown hero seemingly on the brink of defeat.
But the 27-year-old, with his trademark charisma, fought back for an emotional victory in front of a a delighted hometown crowd. The win comes a year after Kokkinakis made history, securing his maiden ATP Tour trophy in 2022.
Kokkinakis told ATP that it was all about the crowd, and that once they got fired up, his tennis matched it.
There’s no cooling down yet, with Kokkinakis gearing up to take on Andrey Rublev who sits at No. 6 player in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.
Other court action last night saw Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic defeat Briton Kyle Edmund 6-4, 7-5, Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina ousting American Brandon Nakashima 6-2, 7-6(3) and Briton Jack Draper toppling Italian Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 6-2.
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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