Thanasi Kokkinakis has been left reflecting on one other irritating loss to rising British star Jack Draper on what proved a tricky day on clay for the Australian males on the Madrid Open.
Kokkinakis was the third Aussie to chunk the purple mud in Wednesday’s first spherical after losses for Alexei Popyrin and Aleksandar Vukic, but it surely felt probably the most exasperating because the resurgent Adelaide participant suffered the identical destiny he skilled in final 12 months’s Davis Cup tie in Manchester.
On that event, Kokkinakis had additionally performed a fantastic match, solely to lose in a third-set tiebreak to Draper – and this time the 22-year-old Briton once more held agency in one other shut affair to carry off the big-serving Australian 6-3 3-6 7-5 in a high-quality two-hour affair within the Arantxa Sanchez Stadium.
The defeat checked the fantastic latest surge of Kokkinakis, who gained the latest Sarasota Open Challenger, which secured his place on the French Open whereas additionally pushing him again into the world’s top-100.
After additionally qualifying to make the primary attract Madrid, together with a putting win over former US Open champion Dominic Thiem, the 28-year-old got here again strongly on Wednesday to largely dominate in opposition to left-hander Draper after the highly effective Briton had rapidly gone 3-0 as much as management the primary stanza.
Along with his forehand booming loads of his 25 winners and serving down 9 aces, Kokkinakis took the second set and had Draper below the cosh till the twelfth recreation of the ultimate set when scoreboard strain started to crank up on the Australian and the Briton proved too resolute.
“It was a tricky, I have been shedding a number of 7-6 within the third lately, and Kokkinakis is such an incredible participant who’s had some nice leads to his profession, beating the likes of (Roger) Federer, so he can actually play,” mentioned Draper.
“So I am actually pleased with the way in which I stepped up on the key moments in the present day.”
Draper was answerable for a laudable act of sportsmanship in that remaining recreation when he requested for a degree to be replayed after Kokkinakis had been deprived by a noise within the crowd and served a fault.
Explaining that he believed Kokkinakis would have supplied him the identical courtesy if the boot had been on the opposite foot, Draper defined: “It is vital to point out some sportsmanship and it makes you’re feeling higher about your self.”
Earlier, Sydneysider Popyrin, who’s appeared good on clay this season, nonetheless needed to give second finest 7-5 6-2 to the spectacular Argentine rookie Mariano Navone, who’s risen to a career-high No.41 on the again of his clay-court prowess.
World No.62 Vukic then battled to take skilled Japanese Taro Daniel right into a deciding set earlier than shedding 6-2 6-7 (1-7) 6-1.
Chris O’Connell and Max Purcell will each be in motion on Thursday as they search to hitch Alex de Minaur and Jordan Thompson, who each have byes, within the second spherical.
