Stefanos Tsitsipas, the two-time Grand Slam finalist, continued his struggles at the US Open, falling to Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis in a thrilling first-round matchup on Tuesday. The match, which lasted three hours and 54 minutes, saw Tsitsipas drop the first set in a tiebreak, rally to win the second and even the score, but ultimately succumbed to defeat.
A visible abdominal issue seemed to affect Tsitsipas’s performance late in the match. Tsitsipas has a history of disappointing results at Flushing Meadows, never advancing past the third round. His struggles extended beyond the US Open, as he only managed one win in three matches leading up to the tournament at the Canadian Open and Cincinnati Masters.
For Kokkinakis, the victory marked a significant return to form. He hadn’t won a match at the New York Grand Slam since 2019. Known for his ability to endure lengthy battles, Kokkinakis spoke about the physical nature of the match and his focus on staying consistent throughout. “I had a five-set battle with him a couple of years ago at the Australian Open and I was expecting a war,” Kokkinakis said in his on-court interview. “It was physical out there and I have a tendency to sometimes drag these matches on and have some real long battles, but I just tried to stay focused, stay the course and just tried to play every point,” the Australian said.
Kokkinakis now advances to face either Nuno Borges or Federico Coria in the second round.
