Nuno Borges and Thanasi Kokkinakis played out a thriller at the Cincinnati Masters. Their Round of 128 clash went down to the wire after both players won a set each. The third set was decided in a tiebreaker, which was pretty evenly matched in the opening stages. As Kokkinakis was trailing 4-5, he attempted a powerful forehand. He cramped badly in flight and twisted his ankle as he landed.

Borges hurried to his aid and was even seen pressing Kokkinakis’ calf. The latter appeared to be in a lot of pain, and the physio was soon called in to check on him. Kokkinakis eventually got back to his feet. With Borges already at match point, he had little left to give. He clearly wasn’t in a condition to compete. An unforced error was enough for Borges to clinch the match 5-7, 7-6, 7-6.

Kokkinakis threw his racket out of frustration as the match ended. Borges pulled off a remarkable comeback and delivered one of his best performances of the season. Both players were given a thunderous round of applause from the crowd for putting up such a great match.

This was the second time Borges got the better of Kokkinakis in a tour-level match. The two had previously met in the Round of 64 at the 2024 US Open. The Portuguese had triumphed 6-4, 7-5, 7-5 on that occasion. Borges had also claimed victory when he had played Kokkinakis at the Phoenix Challenger in 2024. He had won the quarterfinal clash 7-6, 6-1.

After having a disappointing grass swing that ended with a second-round exit at Wimbledon, Borges has turned his form around in the tournaments that followed. He first reached the quarterfinals of the Nordea Open, defeating Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 6-2 in the Round of 16. He then had an impressive run at the National Bank Open.

Borges reached the Round of 16 in Montreal after racking up three consecutive victories. His journey was brought to an end by Luciano Darderi, who defeated him 4-6, 6-3, 7-5. Borges has now made a positive start in Cincinnati and will be looking for another deep run at a Masters event ahead of the US Open. Hard courts are his preferred surface, giving him a real shot at the later stages.

On the other hand, it was agony for Kokkinakis. He lost a match where he put in a lot of effort. Worse, his chances of playing the US Open have taken a hit. Additionally, injuries have affected his 2026 season massively, and the latest setback can pretty much ruin his hard-court season.

Thanasi Kokkinakis’ 2026 season has been marred by injuries

Physical setbacks started affecting Kokkinakis in January itself. After defeating Sebastian Korda in the first round of the Adelaide International, he had to withdraw from his clash against Valentin Vacherot due to a right shoulder flare-up.

This injury would result in Kokkinakis’ withdrawal from the Australian Open‘s singles draw. Kokkinakis didn’t play on the ATP Tour for almost the next four months before eventually returning at the Zagreb Open before Roland Garros.

Despite not being fully fit, Kokkinakis entered the singles draw at the French Open. He even got a gritty win in the first round against local hero Terence Atmane. The Australian triumphed 6-7, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 in a match that went down to the wire. But Kokkinakis’ journey came to an end in the second round after he suffered a flare-up in his surgically repaired pectoral muscle.

As a result, he had to retire from his second-round clash against Pablo Carreno Busta, losing 7-5, 4-6, 1-0. Kokkinakis also had to withdraw from his second-round clash against Vitaliy Sachko at the Slovak Open while trailing 5-2 in the first set. His latest walkover came at the National Bank Open earlier this month. Kokkinakis took on Alexei Popyrin in the first round of qualifying and was forced to retire due to physical problems while trailing 6-4, 2-3.

This latest setback adds to an already injury-ravaged season for Kokkinakis. He has been forced to retire or withdraw at the Australian Open, Roland Garros, the Slovak Open, and now Cincinnati. The US Open’s qualifying rounds begin August 24, just over a week away. That leaves him little time to recover before his next shot at Flushing Meadows.