Kokkinakis unable to follow up after massive Tsitsipas win, loses in second round
Source: NEOS KOSMOS
Two days after eliminating dual grand slam finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas, Thanasi Kokkinakis crashed to a deflating 6-4 7-5 7-5 second-round loss to Portuguese baseliner Nuno Borges.
The Greek Australian was unfortunate in the second set when, while serving to level the match, Borges struck an unbelievable forehand winner and then had a net cord fall his way, which gave him back the momentum on the way to a victory in 2hr 48min.
Kokkinakis’s US Open campaign isn’t done just yet though, as he competes in Doubles action today alongside Tallon Griekspoor against 11th seed duo Wesley Koolhof and Nikola Mektić.
Elsewhere for the Aussies, Alex de Minaur and Jordan Thompson have risen to the occasion to help continue Australia’s best start to a US Open in almost 30 years.
Thompson claimed the biggest scalp of the tournament yet, sending world No.7 Hubert Hurkacz packing with a rollicking 7-6 (7-2) 6-1 7-5 victory to open day four at Flushing Meadows.
Backing up from his first match in seven weeks, de Minaur recovered from an early deficit to see off Finnish qualifier Otto Virtanen 7-5 6-1 7-6 (7-3) after Chris O’Connell also progressed with a 6-3 6-4 3-6 6-3 win over Italian Mattia Bellucci.
With Alexei Popyrin already through and set to square off with defending champion Novak Djokovic on Friday night (9am Saturday AEST), Australia have four men in the last 32 in New York for the first time since 1997.
With AAP
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