Thanasi Kokkinakis, Jason Kubler and Storm Hunter lead the Aussie charge on day four at Roland Garros 2023.
Paris, France, 31 May 2023 | Leigh Rogers
Resilience is a quality that Australian players Thanasi Kokkinakis, Jason Kubler and Storm Hunter all possess in abundance.
The trio have navigated numerous setbacks throughout their respective careers and are now being rewarded.
The 28-year-old Hunter scored her first Grand Slam singles main-draw victory this week and described her long-awaited breakthrough at Roland Garros as “kind of crazy”.
“I mean, I didn’t grow up on clay. I grew up in Perth on grass courts,” Hunter related after becoming the first Australian woman to reach the second round in Paris as a qualifier in 13 years.
“I moved to Melbourne when I was 17 and that was my first experience on actual clay. For me to be able to play good on this surface, it took me probably a while to believe in that.”
The 27-year-old Kokkinakis is back in the second round at Roland Garros for the first time since his 2015 debut, while 30-year-old Kubler has matched his career-best result at the tournament.
They are among eight Australian players scheduled to compete on day four in Paris.
Roland Garros is broadcast live in Australia on the Nine Network and Stan Sport, with coverage beginning from 6.30pm AEST.
Aussies in action on day four:
[Q] Storm Hunter (AUS) v Elina Svitolina
Women’s singles, second round, Court Simonne-Mathieu, first match (from 7pm AEST)
With four consecutive wins in Paris, world No.204 Hunter’s confidence is brimming. The Aussie qualifier hopes to continue her impressive momentum against former world No.3 Svitolina. The highest-ranked Ukrainian in history is contesting her first Grand Slam tournament as a mother. Svitolina, returning after the birth of daughter Skai in October last year, won a WTA title in Strasbourg last week and knocked out 2022 semifinalist Martina Trevisan in the opening round.
Head-to-head record: Svitolina leads 1-0
Last meeting: Svitolina won 6-1 6-2 (Hua Hin, February 2020)
> VIEW: Roland Garros 2023 women’s singles draw
Jason Kubler (AUS) v Fabio Fognini (ITA)
Men’s singles, second round, Court 6, first match (from 7pm AEST)
Kubler has advanced to the second round at Roland Garros for the second year in a row. The world No.69 is now eyeing a maiden third-round appearance, but to get there, he will need to beat a highly credentialled Italian veteran. The…
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