Tahlia Kokkinis’ impressive Australian Open Juniors campaign came to an end on Thursday, as the 16-year-old was defeated by world No.7 Sonobe Wakana of Japan, 6-2, 6-4.
Kokkinis, who earned a wildcard entry into the junior girls’ singles tournament, couldn’t maintain her giant-killing form after a strong start to the second set.
After being dominated in the first set, the Queenslander fought back, breaking her higher-ranked opponent to lead 4-2 in the second.
However, a medical time-out disrupted her momentum, and Sonobe levelled the set at 4-4 before sealing the match with a final break.
Reflecting on her tournament, Kokkinis, ranked No.117 in the world, said, “I loved the crowd getting behind me again, and I feel like every time I have a match, I have this inner belief and knowing that this crowd’s always gonna be with me.”
