Third Time Proves The Charm For Kokkinakis/Kyrgios
Thanasi Kokkinakis and Nick Kyrgios may have fallen in dramatic five-set singles clashes earlier this week at the Australian Open, but the Aussies safely made it through their opening doubles match on Saturday.
The wild cards lost just four points behind their first serves (25/29) to move past Lloyd Harris and Julian Knowle 6-2, 6-4 in 61 minutes. It was Kokkinakis and Kyrgios’ first team win at the Australian Open, following first-round losses at Melbourne Park in 2013 and 2015.
“We know how to play doubles together,” said Kyrgios. “We had some success in juniors, and it’s just basically been about having the chance to play. Obviously it’s nice [that Thanasi is] getting his body right and things [are] linking up… It’s good that we got a win today. I think it was good just to get our bodies moving as well, especially me after last night. Anything is possible if we get a bit of momentum. We’ll see what happens.”
Kokkinakis and Kyrgios will meet fourth seeds Wesley Koolhof and Lukasz Kubot for a place in the third round.
Alexander Bublik and Andrey Golubev stunned top seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah 6-4, 6-4 to reach the third round. The Kazakhstani pair claimed 73 per cent of second-serve return points (11/15) to advance in 71 minutes.
Defending champions Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury needed three sets to win their second-round match. The fifth seeds converted four of their five break points to defeat Tomislav Brkic and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi 6-3, 4-6, 6-2.
Marcelo Melo and Horia Tecau landed 23 winners and did not face a break point en route to a 6-1, 7-6(2) win against Radu Albot and Daniel Evans. The seventh seeds will meet Ivan Dodig and Filip Polasek for a place in the quarter-finals. Dodig and Polasek won 91 per cent of their first-serve points (31/34) to beat Luke Bambridge and Dominic Inglot 6-4, 7-5.
John Millman and Thiago Monteiro also overcame British opposition to reach the third round. The Australian-Brazilian tandem recovered from a set down to beat Ken Skupski and Neal Skupski 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-4. Millman and Tiafoe will meet second seeds Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic in the third round.
Nicholas Monroe and Frances Tiafoe recovered from 2-6, 1-4 down and saved two match points to defeat Vasek Pospisil and Denis Shapovalov 2-6, 7-6(9), 6-2 on Court 7. The Americans will face Marcus Daniell and Philipp Oswald in their next match. Daniell and Oswald overcame Dominik Koepfer and Tennys Sandgren 7-6(4), 6-7(3), 6-2 in two hours and six minutes.