Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Thanasi Kokkinakis: US Open – First round
Two players with Greek origins will face each other in the opening round of the US Open.
Stefanos Tsitsipas Profile
Former world No. 3, Stefanos Tsitsipas is currently 11th in the ATP rankings. The Greek is 38-16 for the season and 11-8 on hard surface.
Tsitsipas is coming off a second round loss to Jack Draper in Cincinnati.
He won the title in Monte Carlo this season and lost the final in Barcelona, playing against Casper Ruud in both matches.
Tsitsipas has never made it past the third round at the US Open.
Thanasi Kokkinakis Profile
Thanasi Kokkinakis is currently 86th in the rankings while his career high is No. 65. The Australian is 27-18 for the season and 13-11 on hard surface.
Kokkinakis is coming off a second round loss to Hubert Hurkacz in Cincinnati.
He won the Sarasota Challenger this season.
His bets result at the US Open was reaching the second round in 2019.
Head-to-Head Tsitsipas leads 1-0
- Tsitsipas vs Kokkinakis 6-7, 6-4, 6-1, 6-7, 6-4 (2021 Australian Open, second round)
Prediction and Conclusion
Stefanos Tsitsipas has lost his spot in the top 10 of the rankings and hopes that he will get back there after the US Open. He has never had a significant result in New York but is still much better than Kokkinakis, who has won only one match in the main draw. Despite the gap in the rankings, Kokkinakis is someone who can serve well and has nothing to lose in this match. Tsitsipas is way more experienced on the big stage and will win this one by covering the 1.5-set spread.
