Thanasi Kokkinakis edged out compatriot and close friend Alexei Popyrin in five sets in an all-Australian opening-round battle at the 2024 French Open.
After battling for four hours and 24 minutes, Kokkinakis was eventually able to close out a 4-6 7-6(8) 6-3 5-7 6-3 victory against his higher-ranked compatriot.
Kokkinakis, ranked 100 in the world, needed all five sets to take down world No.51 Popyrin, eventually winning the deciding set 6-3 after Popyrin had won the fourth to level the match.
This is Kokkinakis’ third consecutive win in matches which have extended to five sets, improving his career record to six wins from the 11 five-set matches he has played.
Kokkinakis now turns his attention to a second-round clash with world No.148 Giulio Zeppieri.
Source: tennis.com.au
