World No 6 Stefanos Tsitsipas was pushed to a marathon five sets by wildcard Thanasi Kokkinakis Thursday before making the Australian Open third round while Andrey Rublev extended his unbeaten start to the year.
The popular Greek star dropped only four games in his first-round match, but faced a far sterner challenge from the 267th-ranked Australian. He finally came through 6-7 (5/7), 6-1, 6-1, 6-7 (5/7), 6-4
Kokkinakis, who has been plagued by injury and illness during his career, fought hard. With the home crowd becoming ever more vociferous in their support, he gave as good as he got in a close first set, with both players trading blows in long rallies and big serves.
The Australian saved two set points at 4-5 and took it to a tiebreaker, where he prevailed on the back of a Tsitsipas double fault. But the Greek’s superior firepower and fitness came to the fore in the second set and by the third Kokkinakis appeared to be running out of steam, unable to match Tsitsipas’ consistency.
He found a second wind, though, in the fourth set and after saving a match point at 4-5 took it to a fifth, buoyed by the energy of the crowd. However, Tsitsipas’ unrelenting return on serve wore him down and he got a decisive break in fifth game as Kokkinakis tired.
The 22-year-old next plays Swede Mikael Ymer, who beat promising Spanish teenager Carlos Alcaraz.
Seventh seed Rublev has been in impressive form and battled past Brazilian left-hander Thiago Monteiro 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (10/8) in workmanlike fashion.
The former junior world No 1 broke Monteiro in the third game of the opening set with a baseline winner and again in the eighth game of the second when the Brazilian sent a forehand wide.
The 23-year-old was pushed harder in the third set, with his frustrations evident when he missed an easy volley at 4-4. His focus briefly wavered with Monteiro working three set points only for Rublev to save them all in holding serve for 5-5. It went to a tiebreaker and they went point-for-point before Rublev finally got over the line on his third match point.
Rublev reached two Slam quarter-finals last year at the US Open and Roland Garros in a breakthrough season that saw him win five ATP Tour titles, more than any other player. He was also joint top of the list for most matches won, on 41 alongside world number one Novak Djokovic, and has started 2021 on a six-match streak after helping Russia win the ATP Cup.
He will next play veteran Spaniard Feliciano Lopez. The 39-year-old was taken five sets in his record-extending 75th consecutive Grand Slam before beating Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego 5-7, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-4. No one has made more consecutive Grand Slam appearances than Lopez, who is playing his record-extending 75th in a row, having not missed one since the French Open in 2002.
Elsewhere, world number 192 Mackenzie McDonald beat Borna Coric 6-4, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 to hand the Croatian 22nd seed the biggest upset of his career.
McDonald, 25, became the lowest-ranked tour-level winner against Coric, a US Open quarter-finalist last year, and reaches a Grand Slam third round for only the second time.
Results
Second round
Andrey Rublev (RUS x7) bt Thiago Monteiro (BRA) 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (10/8)
Feliciano Lopez (ESP) bt Lorenzo Sonego (ITA x31) 5-7, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-4
Casper Ruud (NOR x24) bt Tommy Paul (USA) 3-6, 6-2, 6-4, 7-5
Radu Albot (MDA) bt Christopher O’Connell (AUS) 6-2, 7-5, 7-6 (10/8)
Lloyd Harris (RSA) bt Alexei Popyrin (AUS) 6-2, 1-6, 6-3, 6-7 (5/7), 6-3
Mackenzie McDonald (USA) bt Borna Coric (CRO x22) 6-4, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4
Filip Krajinovic (SRB x28) bt Pablo Andujar (ESP) 6-2, 5-7, 6-1, 6-4
Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE x5) bt Thanasi Kokkinakis (AUS) 6-7 (5/7), 6-4, 6-1, 6-7 (5/7), 6-4
Mikael Ymer (SWE) bt Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) 2-6, 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (7/5)
Karen Khachanov (RUS x19) bt Ricardas Berankis (LTU) 6-2, 6-4, 6-4
Matteo Berrettini (ITA x9) bt Tomas Machac (CZE) 6-3, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3
Fabio Fognini (ITA x16) bt Salvatore Caruso (ITA) 4-6, 6-2, 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (14/12)
Alex De Minaur (AUS x21) bt Pablo Cuevas (URU) 6-3, 6-3, 7-5
With AFP Inputs