Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas gestures during his second-round game against Australia's Thanasi Kokkinakis in Melbourne on Thursday.
Fifth-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas has been pushed all the way in a 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-1, 6-7 (5), 6-4 win over No. 267-ranked Australian wild-card entry Thanasi Kokkinakis in a second-round match that delayed the night program on Rod Laver Arena.
Tsitsipas has a big following within Melbourne’s large Greek community but he was playing an Aussie for the first time at the Australian Open and had to contend with having a share support in the crowd.
Tsitsipas will next play Mikael Ymer, who beat 17-year-old Spanish qualifier Carlos Acaraz in the second round.
Kokkinakis didn't play at all in 2020 because of illness and injuries and this is his first major tournament since the 2019 U.S. Open. His first-round win over Kwon soon-woo was his first in the Australian Open main draw since 2015.
