Thanasi Kokkinakis knocked 38-year-old Stan Wawrinka out of the French Open on Wednesday in a five-set rollercoaster to book a third round place at Roland Garros for the first time since 2015.
Australian world number 108 Kokkinakis came through 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-7 (4/7), 6-3 in four hours and 38 minutes against the 2015 champion.
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“I feel better now that I’ve won,” said the 27-year-old after securing victory on a fifth match point.
“What a match. I know Stan is getting older but in the first set he was playing the best. I was nowhere, just hanging in.”
Kokkinakis, who described Wawrinka, a three-time major winner, as a “legend” of the sport, last made the third round of a Slam in Paris eight years ago when he was just 19.
However, he has been plagued by physical and medical problems with a shoulder injury limiting him to just one singles match from November 2015 until May 2017.
He then missed the entire 2020 season due to mono before undergoing surgery on his sinuses in 2022.
“I’ve had a pretty crazy story. I came on the scene when I was pretty young, looked like I was set for a big future but I went missing for a few years,” he said.
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Kokkinakis will take on Russian 11th seed Karen Khachanov for a place in the last 16.
Alcaraz overcame a second-set blip to blow away Japan’s Taro Daniel 6-1, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 and set up a tie with Canadian 26th seed Denis Shapovalov.
The 20-year-old is bidding to add the Roland Garros title to the US Open he won in 2022.
He has already enjoyed a fine clay-court season, winning both the Barcelona and Madrid Opens.
Stefanos Tsitsipas cruised into the third round with a straight-sets win over Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena.
The Greek fifth seed, the runner-up to Djokovic in 2021, claimed a 6-3, 7-6 (7/4), 6-2 win on Court Suzanne Lenglen.
“I am very much in when it comes to breaking records,” said Tsitsipas after notching his 20th win at the French Open.
“I get excited when I see personal records being kind of set and broken.”
Tsitsipas will next face Argentinian Diego Schwartzman for a place in the second week.
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