Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
Thanasi Kokkinakis has blown a golden opportunity to advance to the third round of the Australian Open for the first time, losing a five-set epic against 15th seed Jack Draper.
The 28-year-old was just one service game away from ending a 11-year wait to make the round of 32 at Melbourne Park, but Draper rallied to win 6-7 (3-7) 6-3 3-6 7-5 6-3 in four hours and 35 minutes at John Cain Arena.
Kokkinakis served for the match at 5-4 in the fourth set when the win-predictor gave him a 95 per cent chance of victory, but the Brit instead won the next three games.
The Australian was struggling physically during the match, receiving treatment on his troublesome right shoulder and pectoral muscle, as Draper finished stronger in the fifth set to silence the parochial crowd.
“It was a really tough match,” the left-handed Draper said.
“Thanasi is an unbelievable player. Someone who I have great respect for. Every time I play him he brings his best tennis, especially here in Australia.”
Draper continued his Australian-killing run after eliminating Alex de Minaur in the quarter-finals of last year’s US Open.
Kokkinakis made his debut at Melbourne Park back in 2014, but the first appearance in a third round at his home grand slam remains elusive.
The talented, but injury-prone right-hander is in his ninth Open campaign after first playing singles at Melbourne Park back in 2014 as a 17-year-old.
He has made the second round six times without ever making it any further.
If Kokkinakis had won, it would have set up an all-Australian round of 32 meeting with Aleksandar Vukic, who stunned American world No.22 Sebastian Korda in a five-set thriller.
When it looked like Kokkinakis would win, the legendary John McEnroe advised the world No.71 to withdraw from his highly-anticipated doubles match on Thursday.
He and Nick Kyrgios famously won the doubles title together at the Australian Open in 2022 and there is great expectation around their reunion this year.
Kokkinakis showed terrific sportsmanship during the fifth game of the fourth set, giving a point to his opponent.
Draper looked have hit a clear winner when chair umpire Marijana Veljovic bizarrely called a let despite the pair having already exchanged numerous shots.
The confused pair approached Veljovic, with Kokkinakis deciding to hand the point to Draper instead of replaying it.
