Thanasi Kokkinakis has kicked off his Australian Open campaign in style, defeating Roman Safiullin in an electrifying four-set match at Kia Arena on Monday evening. The 28-year-old Aussie battled through tense moments to secure a 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-6 (7-5) win, thrilling the home crowd with his resilience and skill.

The match began with a challenging first set for Kokkinakis, as Safiullin capitalised on early opportunities to take the lead. However, the Australian rallied in the second and third sets, finding his rhythm with powerful serves and pinpoint groundstrokes. The decisive moment came in the fourth set tiebreaker, where Kokkinakis kept his composure to close out the match after more than four hours of intense play.

“It feels incredible to get through this one,” Kokkinakis said post-match.

“The crowd’s energy really carried me in those tough moments. I’m looking forward to building on this win in the next round.”

Kokkinakis’s victory marks an important step in his campaign to make a deep run in the tournament, with local fans eager to see their homegrown talent shine. His next challenge will be to maintain this momentum as he progresses to the second round.