The unorthodox team of Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis continued to delight the Melbourne crowd, as Aussie duo upset third seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos to reach the men's doubles final at the Australian Open.
Kyrgios and Kokkinakis stunned their opponents in a 7-6(4) 6-4 victory, sending the local crowd into a frenzy as they converted their first match point. The local heroes were granted a wildcard entry to the event, and have been created an electric atmosphere in every match played.
The unseeded duo have shown exceptional teamwork and chemistry, one that is rarely seen outside of top doubles team who have experience playing together. Nonetheless, Kyrgios and Kokkinakis were exceptional on serve, going for a combined 13 aces while winning 80% of points behind their booming first serves.
After neither team was able to obtain a lead in the opening set, a tiebreak ensued that saw the Australians capitalize on their opponents weaker returns. The home duo took the first set, and raced to a 4-1 lead in the second. Although their higher-ranked opponents were able to break back and level the score at 4-4, an aggressive game from the Aussies saw them clinch victory to advance to their first ATP final as a team.
The final will be an all-Australian affair, as Kyrgios and Kokkinakis take on their unseeded compatriots, Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell, in what should be a highly-charged, electric atmosphere.
Growing up in a household where soccer was king, my earliest memories are filled with chants from packed stadiums and the rhythm of a ball being passed across neighborhood streets. But somewhere along the way, the quiet elegance and raw emotion of tennis pulled me in. What began as a curiosity became a lifelong passion; not just for the sport itself, but for the stories it tells: of grit, of heartbreak, of improbable comebacks and human resilience.
As a tennis writer, I bring the observational lens of someone who didn’t grow up in the sport, but fell in love with it as an outsider; a perspective that lets me see both its technical beauty and its emotional depth. Over the years working with TennisUpToDate, I’ve had the privilege of reaching more than 3.5 million readers worldwide, with one of my features ranking among the site’s top three articles.
With a background in storytelling and a creative mind always searching for meaning beyond the scoreboard, I aim to craft narratives that go deeper than results and rankings. Whether it’s a rising star breaking through or a veteran fighting off Father Time, I try to capture the heartbeat behind the headlines.
The @tkokkinakis & @nickkyrgios show will have a FINAL episode 🙌
They score a 7-6(4) 6-4 upset over No.3 seeds Granollers/Zeballos and will face fellow Aussies Matt Ebden/Max Purcell for the title.
#AusOpen · #AO2022
🎥: @wwos · @espn · @eurosport · @wowowtennis