Stefanos Tsitsipas and Thanasi Kokkinakis showcased their formidable partnership as they secured a commanding win in their debut doubles match at the Miami Open on Thursday. The Greek-Australian duo demonstrated seamless coordination on the court, outclassing their opponents with a resounding 6-3, 6-4 victory over Alex De Minaur and Rinky Hijikata.
From the onset, Tsitsipas and Kokkinakis asserted their dominance, with neither player facing significant challenges on their serves throughout the match. They quickly seized control in the opening set, breaking their opponents early to surge ahead with a commanding 4-1 lead. In the second set, they continued their momentum, securing a crucial break at 4-3. Although they missed out on a triple chance to clinch the match with a double break in the ninth game, they ultimately sealed the win on Tsitsipas’s serve in the tenth game.
Despite it being their first-ever doubles match together, Tsitsipas and Kokkinakis exhibited a remarkable synergy, a testament to their longstanding friendship and camaraderie. Both players boast significant experience in doubles competition, with Tsitsipas having previously claimed titles alongside his brother Petros and Feliciano Lopez, as well as reaching the final of the Miami Open in 2019 with Wesley Koolhof. Kokkinakis, on the other hand, boasts a Grand Slam victory in doubles, having triumphed alongside Nick Kyrgios at the Australian Open in 2022.
Their impressive debut performance sets the stage for an exciting matchup in the next round, where Tsitsipas and Kokkinakis will square off against the formidable duo of Rajeev Ram from the United States and Joe Salisbury from Britain, who currently hold the third seed at the tournament.
Tsitsipas and Kokkinakis have undoubtedly announced their arrival as a formidable doubles team, and their seamless integration on the court bodes well for their future prospects in the doubles circuit. As they continue their campaign at the Miami Open, all eyes will be on this dynamic duo as they look to build upon their early success and make their mark in the world of doubles tennis.
Stefanos Tsitsipas in 2024
At the moment ranked no.
11, the Greek played his last match on the 12th of March when he was overcome by world no.27 Jiri Lehecka 6-2 6-4 in the 4th round in Indian Wells (draw).This season Stefanos has a 11-5 match record. Stefanos Tsitsipas’s most significant accomplishment of the present season was getting to the semifinal in Los Cabos.
Thanasi Kokkinakis in 2024
Ranked no.101, Thanasi played his last match on the 18th of March when he had to retire when playing against world no.137 Hugo Grenier in the qualifications and the scoreline was 6-4 4-1 .
At the moment, during this season Thanasi has an overall 8-9 match record.
He is also scheduled to play in Marrakech (Grand Prix Hassan II) on the 1st of April and Bucharest (Bucharest Open) on the 15th of April.
Stefanos Tsitsipas and Thanasi Kokkinakis played each other just once. Their current record is 1-0 for Tsitsipas. When they played, Stefanos Tsitsipas won 6-7(5) 6-4 6-1 6-7(5) 6-4 in the 2nd round in Melbourne (Australian Open) in February 2021.
Here are the highlights.