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Fan favourite Thanasi Kokkinakis has prevailed in an enthralling five-set first round encounter, setting up a blockbuster clash in the process.
Kokkinakis recovered from a two-sets-to-one deficit to get to a decider, before winning in a thrilling fifth-set tiebreak, helping ease the heartbreak of last year when he lost to Andy Murray from two-sets-to-love up.
The Australian will take on an in-form Grigor Dimitrov in the second round, with the Bulgarian in career-best form and coming off a title win in Brisbane.
Next, multiple-time slam quarter-finalist Ajla Tomljanovic will try and boost Australian hopes on night three of the Australian Open. Live updates below!
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Draper throws up after gruelling battle | 00:49
DAY 1 RECAP: Traffic chaos and Aussies in action
Tomljanovic faces Croatian Petra Martic on ‘the people’s court’ as she looks to work her way back to the form that saw her make back-to-back major quarterfinals in 2022 before injury struck.
Martic is a grand slam quarterfinalist in her own right, but Tomljanovic won the pair’s most recent encounter, which came at the 2021 US Open.
Last year’s Australian Open finalist Elena Rybakina has kick off action on Rod Laver Arena, taking on dual grand slam finalist Karolina Pliskova.
That match will be followed by the return of Carlos Alcaraz, who missed last year’s event due to injury but won the Wimbledon final in an absorbing clash with Novak Djokovic.
KOKKINAKIS vs OFNER RECAP
It was a solid start for Kokkinakis, who held to love to open the match and immediately began to apply pressure to the Ofner serve.
He brought up a couple of break points in the second game of the match, but an incredible reflex volley helped the Austrian save them.
Both players were solid on serve from that point on, with the set getting to a tiebreak with little trouble on either side.
Some sloppy errors from Ofner handed Kokkinakis a huge leg up, with the Australian winning the breaker 7-1 to take the first set in 59 minutes.
Ofner failed to make a first serve in the whole tiebreak, which was a marked departure from the rest of the set.
Kokkinakis was relatively calm for the first set, barring a moment in which he complained about there being a lack of ice to put in towels on changeovers.
“I’m sure there’s no ice shortage,” he mused to the chair umpire.
The match progressed on serve until 2-3, when Ofner made the most of one break point opportunity and went ahead 4-2.
Ofner faced a break point in the following game but saved it and held to take control of the set.
He again applied pressure to the Kokkinakis serve, playing some blistering shots including a 177km/h winner that left his Australian opponent smirking in disbelief.
One shot was hit on the run and sailed past Kokkinakis, with one commentator dubbing it “the shot of the tournament so far.”
Ofner eventually converted to level the match at one set apiece.
Kokkinakis called for the trainer at the first change of ends of the third set but didn’t require a medical timeout, although he did express concern about his hip.
It once again sparked injury fears for the injury-prone Aussie.
Still, he looked in good touch as he and Ofner traded holds of serve.
Kokkinakis had 0-30 on Ofner’s serve at 5-all, but the latter recovered admirably to go ahead 6-5.
The set would go to a tiebreak, but this time it was an error from Kokkinakis that blew it open, with the Aussie missing a putaway volley to hand his opponent a minibreak.
Ofner hit some incredible winners off the forehand wing to go even further ahead and took the breaker 7-4, to lead two sets to one.
“You have to also recognise Ofner is doing something that you do not see in men’s tennis. Even Djokovic the best at returning hard serves on court,” Jim Courier said on Nine.
“He doesn’t go for winners, he goes for deep position and goes to work. Ofner has hit seven or eight clean winners off a first serve. That is incredible.”
Kokkinakis managed to break early in the fourth set with his tournament on the line and came through to take it 6-1, sending the match to a fifth.
The set progressed on serve and resulted in a match tiebreak.
Kokkinakis went ahead a mini-break on multiple occasions but was pegged back by Ofner, before Kokkinakis broke through for a third and final time to seal the match.
SEEDS PUSHED IN FIRST-ROUND CLASHES
Sixth seed Alexander Zverev has dropped the first set against fellow German Dominik Koepfer, but bounced back to take the second.
Koepfer – who has lost both of the pair’s two encounters so far – took the first set 6-4 against Zverev, despite the 56 ranking spots between the two in Zverev’s favour.
Zverev helped lead his team to a win in the United Cup earlier this month and recovered to take the second set 6-3 and level the match.
Meanwhile, Elena Rybakina saved three set points in a tight first set against Karolina Pliskova, but ultimately won in a tiebreaker.
She pulled away via a break in the second set and it proved enough to seal the match.
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NIGHT 3 ORDER OF PLAY (Show courts & Aussies in action)
From 7pm AEDT, unless listed
ROD LAVER ARENA
No.3 Elena Rybakina (KAZ) def Karolina Pliskova (CZE) 7-6(6) 6-4
Richard Gasquet (FRA) vs No.2 Carlos Alcaraz (ESP)
MARGARET COURT ARENA
No.6 Alexander Zverev (GER) vs Dominik Koepfer (GER)
Rebecca Marino (CAN) vs No.5 Jessica Pegula (USA)
JOHN CAIN ARENA
Thanasi Kokkinakis (AUS) def Sebastian Ofner (AUT) 7-6(1) 2-6 6-7(4) 6-1 7-6(8)
Not before 7pm: Petra Martic (CRO) vs Ajla Tomljanovic (AUS)
AUSSIES IN ACTION
Court 3, Match 3: No.11 Jelena Ostapenko (LAT) def. Kimberly Birrell (AUS) 7-6(5) 6-1
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