Are you ready for the mouth-watering clash between Stefanos Tsitsipas and Thanasi Kokkinakis in the R1 of the 2024 US Open? Tsitsipas has played some outstanding tennis on the clay courts this year. Now, it’ll be interesting to see if he can replicate some of those performances on the hard court in New York. Kokkinakis, on the other hand, is fond of starting his first-round matches at the major events on the front foot. So, this is really going to be an intriguing contest. Who has the edge in the first-round clash?

Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Thanasi Kokkinakis: Preview

Tsitsipas has already won a title this year in Monte Carlo. Apart from that, although he has made quite a few deep runs in his previous tournaments, Tsitsipas has failed to perform when it mattered the most. He’s entering this tournament after his R32 defeat to Jack Draper at the Cincinnati Masters. Draper defeated him by 3-6,6-4,7-5 in that match.

Kokkinakis has played some outstanding tennis at the Challenger events. He won the Challenger Sarasota this year. The 28-year-old Aussie tennis star is entering this contest after losing out to Hubert Hurkacz in the R32 of the Canadian Open. His resilience against the world number 7 in his 6-4,3-6,6-7 defeat was truly praiseworthy.

Tsitsipas vs Kokkinakis: Head-to-Head

Both of them have played against each other only once in their careers so far. Tsitsipas currently leads the H2H scoreline by a 1-0 margin.

• 2021 Australian Open R64: Tsitsipas 6(5)-7,6-4,6-1,6(5)-7,6-4

Prediction: Tsitsipas to win in five sets

Tsitsipas (11) currently has a win-loss record of 33-16, but for Kokkinakis (86) it’s just 10-14 at the moment. Although Stefanos Tsitsipas has a slight edge here, we can expect some fight from the Aussie. However, we have seen him struggling a bit in the last few tournaments, especially after parting ways with his father cum coach, Apostolos.

Failing to progress beyond the third round at Flushing Meadows, Tsitsipas’ struggles on the hard courts are well known. Although Kokkinakis reached the second round of the 2019 US Open, he withdrew because of a problem in his right shoulder. Moreover, Kokkinakis was forced to stay out of the Cincinnati Masters to prepare himself for the major event. Now, it’s time for the real test!

If we take a look at their playing style, Tsitsipas is more of an aggressive baseliner. He loves to bank on his powerful groundstrokes to seal the deal in his matches. He often uses his high topspin rate to push his opponents off the court. His favorite shot is the one-handed backhand, but the only problem with this shot is that he takes a lot of time to get himself set for that shot. The courts here in NY will not allow him that much time to set up his ‘launchpad’.

Apart from that, Tsitsipas’ is often seen struggling a bit while returning the serves. Aggressive players with strong kick serves can put him in some real trouble. Known for playing aggressively, Kokkinakis’ game is more of a blend of power, finesse, and tactical awareness. He has a big first serve, and he loves to out-power his opponents with his fiery shots. His strong forehand and his ability to disguise his opponents with drop shots and audacious volleys make him a real special player.

In his last match against Hurkacz, Kokkinakis hit 15 aces and committed 3 double faults. So, we can expect him to take a similar approach of hit-the-ace-win-the-race against Tsitsipas. However, we believe the Greek is more than capable of countering all these weapons. So, we’re giving Stefanos Tsitsipas a slight edge here, but we think Kokkinakis will give a tough fight.