Tanasi Kokkinakis completed his suspended match against Fabio Fognini in the Australian Open in which he accused the Italian veteran of “the tank”. Questions were raised about Fognini’s lack of effort as the first-round match was suspended Kokkinakis is just five points away from victory Tuesday evening due to rain.
After suspending play for three hours on Tuesday afternoon due to the sweltering heat, Heavens opened at 8 p.m It caused a number of other delays. Kokkinakis was leading 6-1 6-2 4-2 with Fognini serving at 15-40 when the match was abandoned for the night.
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The match resumed on Wednesday night, and Kokkinakis quickly secured the five points he needed to qualify for the second round. Nonsense rained down from spectators as players shook hands at the net, with fans furious at Fognini’s display.
“I don’t know how to explain it,” commentator Adam Peacock said on Channel Nine after Fognini crossed during the third set on Tuesday night. “Speaks for himself… a real lack of energy from Fabio at the moment.”
Roger Rashid said, “(Kokkinakis’s) opponent has yet to test him… and put him under any coercion. Shots like that came out of the Italian’s racket over and over again.”
Mark McGowan Age He tweeted: “Fognini is skating near the transmission line. And I’m generous.”
Tennis commentator Craig Gabriel added: “Is Fabio Fognini on court playing Tanasi Kokkinakis? There’s someone out there. He looks like Fognini but he’s like a shadow as Kokkinakis leads 6-1 6-2.”
Fans called Fognini’s show “disgraceful” and “pathetic”.
Fognini is rated 100 places higher than world No. 57 Kokkinakis. But the Italian made 23 unforced errors in a lackluster effort on Tuesday night.
The 35-year-old seemed to be running through the motions and seemed no match for the hungry Kokkinakis, who has enjoyed a stunning comeback in recent years after a series of injuries. He reached the semi-finals at the Adelaide International Stadium last week after winning the title there last year.
Kokkinakis was just five points away from a stunning win when rain stopped play for the sixth and final time. It was among the 22 matches suspended or rescheduled on Tuesday. Which caused a huge headache for the organizers.
Speaking on Wednesday morning, Channel Nine commentators Todd Woodbridge and Jelena Dokic said the delay was probably the best thing for Fognini. “If he decides to unleash, he can do some damage because he has nothing to lose,” Woodbridge said.
Dokic added, “Especially when you feel like you should have been done and out of the tournament, like I said, book the ticket back. Thansi will want to finish that match, shut it down, any sense of that comeback or something in all, just come back to locker room.”
However, their fears proved unfounded, as Kokkinakis easily sent off the Italian when the match finally resumed. He will face Australian Andy Murray in the second round after the three-time main winner Amazing surprise for Matteo Berrettini Tuesday.
Unruly weather wreaks havoc on the Australian Open
Organizers had to try to reschedule or resume 22 games in the fixture, with the other side of the draw starting the second round on Wednesday. Aussies Max Purcell and Aleksandar Vukic also fell into disarray and had their matches suspended.
Both resumed on Wednesday evening, with Purcell coming off three match points before finally succumbing 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 8-6 (13-11) against Emil Rossofori. Vukic went to Brandon Holt 4-6 6-1 3-6 6-3 6-3.
It rained on several occasions after the extreme heat policy was implemented on Tuesday afternoon. The mercury reached a peak of 37 degrees, with play suspended on all outdoor courts until 5 p.m. The Jordan Thompson match was among the many that were pinned before he lost 3-6 6-3 4-6 5-7 to JJ Wolfe.
But it was good news for Australian player Alex de Minaur. The only seeded Australian player in the draw after Nick Kyrgios withdrew, De Minaur qualified for the second round With a 6-2 6-2 6-3 victory over Taiwanese qualifier Hsu Yu-hsiu.
Australian young man Alexei Bobyrin also scored an impressive victory In a match that ended after 2 am. The 23-year-old beat another Taiwanese player, Chun Hsien Tseng, 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (7-4), 6-1.
with AAP
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