Thanasi Kokkinakis recorded the biggest win of his Davis Cup career to help Australia record a 2-1 victory against France in Spain.
Valencia, Spain, 11 September 2024 | Leigh Rogers
The Australian team has made a winning start in the group stage of the 2024 Davis Cup Finals.
The Aussies scored a hard-fought 2-1 victory today against France in the Spanish city of Valencia, triumphing in a thrilling tie that culminated in a high-pressure doubles rubber.
Thanasi Kokkinakis provided Australia with the perfect start, scoring the biggest win of his Davis Cup career against world No.25 Arthur Fils.
The world No.78 posted a 7-6(4) 7-6(3) victory against the 20-year-old Frenchman, fighting back from a 2-4 deficit in the second set to record a first top-30 win in the prestigious team competition.
“Arthur is a great player, he’s going to be leading the French team for a while, so I knew it was a tough challenge,” Kokkinakis said. “I just tried to hang in there and I think I played steady on the big moments. There wasn’t much in it.”
Kokkinakis seals the first match of the tie 🙌
🇦🇺 Australia 1 – 0 France 🇫🇷#DavisCup | @TKokkinakis pic.twitter.com/6Y321aPaEb
— Davis Cup (@DavisCup) September 10, 2024
Kokkinakis was a late addition to the Australian team this week, replacing an injured Alex de Minaur.
“Obviously we’ve got a lot of options and great depth at the moment, so I still wasn’t sure if I’d get the call-up,” the 28-year-old said. “I’m happy that Lleyton trusted me to go in there and do the job.”
Kokkinakis revealed he was inspired to produce his best tennis for world No.11 De Minaur, who has been the team’s leader in recent years.
“We had to try put up a couple of wins for him,” Kokkinakis said. “He’s injured and can’t play, but is still here supporting. It’s good to have him here, even if it’s just on the sidelines.”
France’s No.1 Ugo Humbert did his best to spoil Australia’s chances, powering to a 6-3 6-2 victory against Alexei Popyrin to level the tie at one apiece.
Stepping up into the Australian No.1 position for the first time in his career, world No.24 Popyrin was overpowered by his French opponent.
“He played some inspired tennis and didn’t let me into the match,” a disappointed Popyrin said. “I felt like he was reading every single serve. Whether I slowed it down or sped it up, he was on it. When you play someone like that, who is…
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