Aussie highs and lows
IN an afternoon of extreme contrast, South Australian pair Alex Bolt and Thanasi Kokkinakis endured the highs and lows of grand slam battle.
Bolt, 26, jubilated in his first grand slam main draw win, three years after opting out of tennis to work as a fence labourer.
The Murray Bridge lefthander’s 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 triumphed over former top 10 player Jack Sock was balanced by the desolation of Kokkinakis’ injury-enforced retirement.
Kokkinakis succumbed to pectoral soreness while leading Japan’s Taro Daniel 5-7, 6-4 in yet another injury setback.
Later, Alexei Popyrin became the 10th Australian through to the second round after upsetting Mischa Zverev in his debut grand slam.
The 19-year-old wildcard got past the experienced German 7-5, 7-6 (9-7), 6-4 in one hour and 59 minutes.
Popyrin will meet either Benoit Paire or seventh seed Dominic Thiem for a place in the third round.
Bolt, watched by Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt and coach Tony Roche, buzzed with elation after rolling Sock.
“It’s a pretty surreal feeling. I went over and gave my mum a bit of a hug, my dad was here, my brother flew over,” Bolt said. “A couple of other friends from Murray Bridge flew over. It was really nice to play in front of them.”
Bolt out-served Sock with 22 aces to 13.
A gifted southpaw, Bolt previously failed to convert opportunities at the highest level.
Improved self-belief has played a critical role.
“I’m up there playing the best tennis I’ve played. And I still feel I can play better. So, good things are to come,” he said.
Bolt and Popyrin joined countrymen Alex de Minaur, Jordan Thompson, John Millman and Matthew Ebden in the second round. Bolt will next face French 29th seed Gilles Simon.
Kokkinakis won the first set of yesterday’s clash with Daniel 7-5 before calling a medical time-out early in the second set to receive treatment on his right shoulder.
The distraught baseliner struggled on for a few more games before submitting.
Kokkinakis’ injury bulletin is depressing.
The 22-year-old also suffered a cracked kneecap last April in a frustrating campaign where he managed just nine tour matches for three wins.
But among those three victories was a win over Roger Federer at the World Tour Masters event in Miami — a tantalising reminder of just what Kokkinakis was capable of when not let down by his fragile body.
The win by the 19-year-old Popyrin, ranked 149 in the world, win secured Australia’s equal-best start at Melbourne Park in 16 years with Nick Kyrgios still on court last night against Milos Raonic.
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