Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA

Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Thanasi Kokkinakis: Laver Cup

Stefanos Tsitsipas will take on Thanasi Kokkinakis on day 1 of the Laver Cup in Berlin, Germany.

Stefanos Tsitsipas Profile

Former world No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas is currently 12th in the ATP rankings. The Greek is 38-17 for the season and 11-9 on hard surface.

Tsitsipas is coming off a 7-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 loss in the opening round of the US Open, exactly against Thanasi Kokkinakis who will face today.

Tsitsipas won the title in Monte Carlo this season and lost the final in Barcelona.

Thanasi Kokkinakis Profile

Thanasi Kokkinakis is 78th in the ATP rankings and his career high was No. 65 in the world. The Australian is 30-19 for the season and 14-12 on hard surface.

Kokkinakis is coming off a 6-2, 6-7, 6-3 win over Jakub Mensik in the Davis Cup.

His best result of the season was winning the Challenger in Sarasota.

Head-to-Head 1-1

• Kokkinakis vs Tsitsipas 7-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 (2024 US Open, first round)
• Tsitsipas vs Kokkinakis 6-7, 6-4, 6-1, 6-7, 6-4 (2021 Australian Open, second round)

Prediction and Conclusion

This will be the third match between these two players and the first one out of the Grand Slams. Less than a month ago, Kokkinakis stunned Tsitsipas in the opening round of the US Open, which was a huge blow for the Greek, who is not having the best season. Tsitsipas has been in the elite for a couple of years now, and he needs to prove that he still belongs there. Kokkinakis will make his debut at the Laver Cup and also has a chance to shine on the big scene. This will definitely be a tough match, with both players playing their best tennis. We expect both to start confidently in the opening set, so we go with over 10.5 games in set number one.