(New York-Flushing Meadows) - Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis took down 11th seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in a four-set grueling match on Grandstand to reach the second round at the US Open on Tuesday day session.
World No. 86 Thanasi Kokkinakis produced a major upset on Day 2 at the US Open, shocking 11th seed Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 after a grueling three-hour, 54-minute battle on Grandstand.
In his on-court interview, the Australian said: “That was incredible. He’s a helluva player. I expected a war. It was physical out there. I tend to drag these matches on into real long battles. I just tried to stay focused on every point.”
And so he did, holding his ground in a 68-minute first set that he wrapped up 7-6(5), setting the tone of the action ahead.
The Greek player regrouped to take the second set 6-4, but his comeback attempt was cut short by the Adelaide-born, who, making good use of his booming serve, found his way to meet victory at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center for the first time in five years.
“I’ve had a lot of tight losses when I’ve been in winning positions so that one is all relief. It meant a lot; I am super excited,” added the 2022 Australian Open doubles champion.
In the third set, Kokkinakis held his nerve against the former world No. 3, who tried to build upon momentum.
With the score tied at 3-3, the 28-year-old Aussie found another gear to convert the lone break of the set, taking control of play, fiercely hitting aces, 17 overall, posing a constant challenge over his opponent’s return game.
Capitalizing on his chances, he took a clinical break at 5-5, marching to close out the fourth game 7-5, securing his spot in the next round.
Kokkinakis won 78 percent of points on his first serve to the Athens native 71 percent.
Moreover, he hit 47 winners against 46 unforced errors, winning 12 of 15 net approaches.
Next, the former world No. 65 will square off against Portuguese Nuno Borges, who moved past Argentine Federico Coria in straight sets after one hour and 41 minutes.
Borges is enjoying a consistent season, becoming an ATP winner by claiming the Swedish Open title in Bastad, defeating 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal in the final last July.
Against Coria, the 27-year-old fired 39 winners, winning 83 percent of points on his first serve compared to the Argentine 30 and 62, respectively.
Kokkinakis and Borges have never played one another on tour before.
