Kokkinakis Faces Early Exit in Adelaide International Opener

Hometown hero Thanasi Kokkinakis faced a disappointing exit from the Adelaide International, bowing out in the first round against Serbian Dusan Lajovic, who secured a 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory in a thrilling match lasting two hours and 10 minutes.

The 2022 Australian Open warm-up event men’s singles champion, Kokkinakis, encountered a tough challenge from the 52nd-ranked world player, Lajovic, on the center court at the Memorial Drive Tennis Club on Monday, as reported by Xinhua.

Despite a strong start dominating on serve in the opening set, Kokkinakis succumbed to errors as the match progressed, leading to Lajovic’s victory.

Expressing gratitude to the crowd, Dusan Lajovic acknowledged Kokkinakis as a local favorite. “I know Thanasis is a crowd favorite here, and thank you for supporting both sides,” he said during the post-match interview.

This defeat leaves Kokkinakis entering the Australian Open, starting on Sunday, without a win since October.

In another upset on Monday, Russian qualifier Anna Kalinskaya stunned the 2021 Roland-Garros champion and world number 10, Barbora Krejcikova, with a 7-5, 3-6, 7-5 victory.

Meanwhile, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, runner-up in the 2021 Roland Garros final, secured a smooth entry into the second round, defeating tournament fifth seed Beatriz Haddad Maia of Brazil with a 6-3, 6-4 win.

Looking ahead to Tuesday’s action at Memorial Drive, Australian wildcard Rinky Hijikata, who made waves at the 2023 US Open, will take on Britain’s world number 21 Daniel Evans on center court. The day’s schedule also includes Czech third seed Marketa Vondrousova facing qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich from Belarus.

The opening match features a clash between Latvia’s sixth seed Jelena Ostapenko and Romania’s Sorana Cirstea, two top-30 players.

-IANS