Australian hope Thanasi Kokkinakis is thru to the second spherical at an ATP Masters 1000 match in Miami.
Miami, USA, 24 March 2023 | Leigh Rogers
Thanasi Kokkinakis has made essentially the most of a fortunate loser spot on the Miami Open by profitable a three-set thriller within the opening spherical.
The 26-year-old Aussie bounced again from his closing qualifying spherical loss two days in the past and returned to the winners’ circle with a hard-fought 4-6 6-3 7-6(7) victory in opposition to Belgium’s Zizou Bergs.
After recovering from a 2-4 deficit within the deciding set, Kokkinakis ultimately sealed victory in opposition to the 23-year-old wildcard in two hours and 29 minutes.
Kokkinakis was compelled to dig deep although, bravely saving three match factors within the third-set tiebreak.
battling some critical demons…. 😵 🔫
— Thanasi Kokkinakis (@TKokkinakis) March 24, 2023
This units up a second-round showdown with eighth seed Hubert Hurkacz. The 26-year-old from Poland gained the Miami title in 2021 and was a semifinalist final 12 months.
World No.94 Kokkinakis, who gained their solely earlier assembly 5 years in the past, was the one Aussie contender to progress in the present day within the males’s singles draw.
Sadly, Jason Kubler, Jordan Thompson and Chris O’Connell have been all eradicated.
Brazilian Thiago Monteiro spoiled Kubler’s Miami debut, scoring a 6-4 7-6(6) victory of their first-round conflict.
There was solely a single break of serve within the one-hour and 40-minute battle. Kubler was on the verge of gaining some necessary momentum late within the second set, recovering from a 1-6 deficit within the tiebreak. However world No.81 Monteiro was in a position to seal victory on his sixth match level.
A gallant Thompson prolonged world No.56 Alex Molcan to a few units earlier than bowing out, whereas O’Connell additionally pushed world No.40 Richard Gasquet to a few units of their first-round assembly.
In ladies’s doubles motion, Ellen Perez and American Nicole Melichar-Martinez held their nerve in a tense end in opposition to American Sofia Kenin and Ukrainian Nadiia Kichenok.
The eighth-seeded duo wanted six match factors, and needed to save a match level, to shut out a 6-3 6-7(5) [15-13] first-round victory.
6(!!!) MATCH POINTS LATER 🥵
No.8 seeds @nicole_melichar & @EllenPerez95 clinch the win in a match tiebreak, 6-3, 6-7(5), 1-0 to advance in Miami! #MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/Gg3ozjcGk2
— wta (@WTA) March 23, 2023
Aussies in motion – Miami
TODAY’S RESULTS
Males’s singles, first spherical
[LL] Thanasi Kokkinakis (AUS) d [WC] Zizou Bergs (BEL) 4-6 6-3 7-6(7)
Thiago Monteiro (BRA) d Jason Kubler (AUS) 6-4 7-6(6)
Alex Molcan (SVK) d [Q] Jordan Thompson (AUS) 6-2 4-6 6-3
Richard Gasquet (FRA) d [LL] Chris O’Connell (AUS) 6-4 3-6 6-1
Ladies’s doubles, first spherical
[8] Ellen Perez (AUS)/Nicole Melichar-Martinez (USA) d Sofia Kenin (USA)/Nadiia Kichenok (UKR) 6-3 6-7(5) [15-13]
COMING UP
Males’s singles, second spherical
[15] Alex de Minaur (AUS) v Quentin Halys (FRA)
Alexei Popyrin (AUS) v [26] Botic van de Zandschulp (NED)
[LL] Thanasi Kokkinakis (AUS) v [8] Hubert Hurkacz (POL)
> VIEW: Miami Open males’s singles draw
Males’s doubles, first spherical
[6] Matt Ebden (AUS)/Rohan Bopanna (IND) v Kevin Krawietz (GER)/Fabrice Martin (FRA)
Rinky Hijikata (AUS)/Jason Kubler (AUS) v [1] Wesley Koolhof (NED)/Neal Skupski (GBR)
John Friends (AUS)/Marcelo Melo (BRA) v [WC] Marcos Giron (USA)/J.J. Wolf (USA)
Ladies’s doubles, first spherical
[6] Storm Hunter (AUS)/Elise Mertens (BEL) v Miyu Kato (JPN)/Aldila Sutjiadi (IDA)
Ladies’s doubles, second spherical
[8] Ellen Perez (AUS)/Nicole Melichar-Martinez (USA) v TBC
Guide on-line, play in the present day: Go to play.tennis.com.au to get out on court docket and have some enjoyable!