Thanasi Kokkinakis and Borna Coric will face each other in the second round of the 2023 Dubai Tennis Championships on Wednesday, March 1.
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After defeating Quentin Halys in two close sets in the opening round of the ATP Dubai, Thanasi Kokkinakis kept his perfect record in first-round contests on the main tour this year (4-0). The big-serving Frenchman didn’t encounter a breakpoint, generated three straight set points, and later won nine points in the tiebreaker, making the second set particularly close. Although the ATP Adelaide champion from 2022 was unable to match his results from the Australian swing from the previous year, this is still a strong start to the year. He has a record of 11/3 in these eight weeks and has won six straight games in the Middle East, including the Manama Challenger title a few weeks ago. With one more victory on Wednesday, the Australian would advance to his first quarterfinal outside of his home country since May 2022 and seventh overall on the main tour. In Adelaide, Australia, last month, he made his most recent run to the quarterfinals, defeating Andrey Rublev, a player ranked in the top 20, to snap a six-match losing streak against them.
Early in 2023, Borna Coric has been having a difficult time on tour; fortunately, he was paired with a competitor who has also been having a difficult time lately. Because of this, he had little to do in the first round of the ATP Dubai tournament against Dan Evans, who gave up after just four games (2-2). After returning from a year-long injury hiatus in the early 2022 season, the Croatian had difficulty finding victories on the main tour and Challenger circuits. However, he persisted and achieved some incredible results in the second half of the season, including winning the biggest title of his career at Cincinnati Masters and making it to the quarterfinals (or further) in Tokyo and Vienna.
The 26-year-old has a good overall record in this competition and has twice advanced to the ATP Dubai semifinals. Although he has defeated players like Andy Murray and Tomas Berdych here, three of his four losses in the competition have come at the hands of top competitors Roger Federer (twice) and Roberto Bautista Agut.
| Thanasi Kokkinakis vs Borna Coric | Match details |
|---|---|
| Date | March 1, 2023 |
| Surface | Hard |
| Tournament | Dubai Tennis Championships |
| Stage | Round of 16 |
| Time (India) | 6:30 pm |
| Time (Dubai) | 5 pm |
| Opponent | Score |
|---|---|
| Quentin Halys | 6-4, 7-6 (W) |
| Abedallah Shelbayh | 6-1, 6-4 (W) |
| Jan-Lennard Struff | 4-6, 7-6, 1-6 (W) |
| Alexei Popyrin | 6-3, 7-6 (W) |
| Alexandre Muller | 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 (W) |
| Opponent | Score |
|---|---|
| Dan Evans | Walkover (W) |
| Maxime Cressy | 7-6, 6-4 (L) |
| Arthur Rinderknech | 6-3, 7-5 (W) |
| Jiri Lehecka | 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 (L) |
| Corentin Moutet | 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 (L) |
Read More – ATP Dubai Tennis Championships 2023: Preview, Where to watch, Schedule, Dates, Seeds, Prize Money, Live Streaming details
2-0 is Borna Coric’s lead. In comparison to his opponent, the Croatian player is significantly more reliable and consistent, as shown by their head-to-head record. The Australian player, however, is in better shape right now and might be feeling more optimistic about his chances in the upcoming match.
Thanasi Kokkinakis and Borna Coric will face each other in the second round of the 2023 Dubai Tennis Championships on Wednesday, March 1.
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