Tuesday 15 January 2019

AO - Daniel d retired Kokkinakis

Third match on Court 3, Day Two of the 2019 Australian Open, was the clash between Taro Daniel, ranked 82 from Japan, and Australia’s qualifier Thanasi Kokkinakis, ranked 144.


Daniel battled through three deuces and staved off a break point to lead 2-1 in the opening set.

Two forehand winners from Kokkinakis and 2-2.

Two break points on the Daniel serve - one saved with a winning forehand.  Not the second and the break to the Australian who led 3-2.

Kokkinakis consolidated the break, the forehand troubling Daniel.

A perfect lob put Daniel down 15-30.  However he steadied and stayed close at 3-4, knowing that his opponent was not fully fit, unable to extend fully on serve, or overhead generally.

Three break back points for Daniel, one saved with the Kokkinakis forehand, and the other two also extinguished.  The lead 5-3

Daniel held and asked Kokkinakis to serve for the set.


Daniel attacked the net and put away a winner.  He then went ahead 3 break points thanks to Kokkinakis errors.  One was avoided,  and a second, but a wayward forehand cost the Australian’s serve and games were 5-5.

Kokkinakis had some more break points, but Daniel brought it back to deuce.  Another chance to break and it happened.

Serving for the set, Kokkinakis was trailing 15-30, and 30-40, but he saved the break point with a clutch serve. A double fault was a nuisance but two winning forehands and a clean backhand won him the set 7-5.


Set two went with serve for five games and then Kokkinakis went to the line at 2-3.

Exchange of errors and 15-15.  Backhand wide by Kokkinakis and 15-30.  Bad miss by Daniel and 30-30.  Forehand wide by Kokkinakis and break point.  Good serve and deuce.  Return into the net.  Game point.  Backhand miss by Kokkinakis and deuce again.  Another game point.  Third deuce.  Forehand winner and game point for Kokkinakis.  Deuce once more.  Break point after a Kokkinakis forehand into net.

Saved with a backhand winner and fifth deuce.  Wild forehand and another break point.  The break arrived and Daniel led 4-2.


At 30-0 on the Daniel serve, Kokkinakis gave in to his injury and Taro Daniel won 5-7 4-2 (retired)


Some other results:

Madison Keys (17) defeated wildcard Destanee Aiava 6-2 6-2

Serena Williams (16) defeated Tatjana Maria 6-0 6-2

Kei Nishikori (8) defeated qualifier Kamil Majchrzak 3-6 6-7(6) 6-0 6-2 3-0 (retired)

Karolina Pliskova (7) defeated qualifier Karolina Muchova 6-3 6-2

Borna Coric (11) defeated Steve Darcis 6-1 6-4 6-4

Fabio Fognini (12) defeated Jaume Munar 7-6(3) 7-6(7) 3-1 (retired)

Garbine Muguruza (18) defeated Saisai Zheng 6-2 6-3

Elise Mertens (12) defeated Anna Karolina Schmiedlova 6-2 7-5

Timea Bacsinszky defeated Dasha Kasatkina (10) 6-3 6-0

Daniil Medvedev (15) defeated qualifier Lloyd Harris 6-1 6-2 6-1

Anastasija Sevastova (13) defeated Mona Barthel 6-3 6-1

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