Wimbledon: Kokkinakis saves four MPs to defeat Auger-Aliassime

Thanasi Kokkinakis moved into the second round of Wimbledon by outlasting Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime, the No 17 seed, 4-6, 5-7, 7-6 (9), 6-4, 6-4 at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London on Wednesday evening.

At one stage, Kokkinakis looked to be exiting the tournament, with Auger-Aliassime holding four match points in the third set. It was a set full of drama, with Kokkinakis racing out to a 5-0 lead in the tiebreak, before losing six points in a row to face match point.

Yet once again, the Australian did it tough, coming back from two sets to love down for the second time in a Grand Slam this year. Of the six matches Kokkinakis has played at majors this year, five have gone the distance, including the last four in a row.

“I’d rather not [go to five sets], it doesn’t help me going deeper in the tournament,” said Kokkinakis after the match. “I’m glad it is five though, otherwise I wouldn’t have won many matches this year.”

Kokkinakis, ranked No 93, will play French qualifier Lucas Pouille next.

London (Grand Slam), other first-round results (All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, grass, GBP 50.000.000, most recent results first):

• Alejandro Tabilo (24) beat Daniel Evans: 6-2, 7-5, 6-3
• Tomas Machac beat David Goffin (LL): 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, 7-6 (5)
• Arthur Rinderknech beat Kei Nishikori: 5-7, 6-4, 6-7 (2), 6-3, 6-2
• Lucas Pouille beat Laslo Djere: 3-6, 7-6 (4), 3-6, 6-3, 6-1
• Emil Ruusuvuori beat Mackenzie McDonald: 7-6 (6), 4-6, 5-7, 7-6 (6), 6-3
• Roman Safiullin beat Francisco Cerundolo (26): 6-7 (5), 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4
• Karen Khachanov (21) beat Aslan Karatsev: 6-3, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (11), 2-0 ret.
• Quentin Halys (Q) beat Christopher Eubanks: 6-4, 6-4, 6-2
• Taylor Fritz (13) beat Christopher O’Connell: 6-1, 6-2, 6-4
• Cameron Norrie beat Facundo Diaz Acosta: 7-5, 7-5, 6-3
• Flavio Cobolli beat Rinky Hijikata: 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4
• Jack Draper (28) beat Elias Ymer (Q): 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
• Marcos Giron beat Henry Searle (WC): 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4
• Holger Rune (15) beat SoonWoo Kwon: 6-1, 6-4, 6-4
• Stefanos Tsitsipas (11) beat Taro Daniel: 7-6 (5), 6-4, 7-5
• Arthur Fils beat Dominic Stricker: 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-4
• Novak Djokovic (2) beat Vit Kopriva (Q): 6-1, 6-2, 6-2
• Alexander Zverev (4) beat Roberto Carballes Baena: 6-2, 6-4, 6-2
• Adam Walton beat Federico Coria: 6-3, 6-3, 7-5
• Jacob Fearnley (WC) beat Alejandro Moro Canas (Q): 7-5, 6-4, 7-6 (12)
• Ben Shelton (14) beat Mattia Bellucci (Q): 4-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
• Francisco Comesana beat Andrey Rublev (6): 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, 7-6 (5)
• Alexei Popyrin beat Thiago Monteiro: 6-4, 6-7 (8), 6-3, 6-4
• Hubert Hurkacz (7) beat Radu Albot (Q): 5-7, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4
• Lorenzo Musetti (25) beat Constant Lestienne: 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-2, 6-2
• Tomas Martin Etcheverry (30) beat Luca Nardi: 6-1, 6-4, 6-2
• Thiago Seyboth Wild beat Paul Jubb (WC): 1-6, 3-6, 7-6 (6), 6-4, 7-5
• Alex De Minaur (9) beat James Duckworth (LL): 7-6 (1), 7-6 (3), 7-6 (4)
• Jaume Munar beat Billy Harris (WC): 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
• Yoshihito Nishioka beat Nuno Borges: 6-2, 7-6 (6), 2-6, 6-3
• Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard (LL) beat Sebastian Korda (20): 7-6 (5), 6-7 (4), 7-6 (6), 6-7 (4), 6-3
• Luciano Darderi beat Jan Choinski (WC): 7-5, 4-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-2
• Miomir Kecmanovic beat Sumit Nagal: 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
• Otto Virtanen (Q) beat Max Purcell: 6-3, 6-2, 6-2
• Tommy Paul (12) beat Pedro Martinez: 6-2, 6-1, 4-6, 6-3
• Jannik Sinner (1) beat Yannick Hanfmann: 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
• Tallon Griekspoor (27) beat Daniel Elahi Galan (LL): 7-6 (3), 6-3, 6-4
• Lorenzo Sonego beat Mariano Navone (31): 6-4, 7-6 (2), 6-4
• Roberto Bautista Agut beat Maximilian Marterer: 6-3, 6-1, 6-4
• Botic van de Zandschulp beat Liam Broady (WC): 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
• Alexander Bublik (23) beat Jakub Mensik: 4-6, 6-7 (2), 6-4, 6-4, 6-2
• Aleksandar Vukic beat Sebastian Ofner: 6-7 (9), 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (8)
• Arthur Cazaux beat Zizou Bergs (Q): 6-1, 6-4, 6-7 (2), 6-7 (4), 7-6 (8)
• Ugo Humbert (16) beat Alexander Shevchenko: 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 (2), 6-7 (3), 6-1
• Lloyd Harris (Q) beat Alex Michelsen: 3-6, 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-2, 7-6 (9)
• Carlos Alcaraz (3) beat Mark Lajal (Q): 7-6 (3), 7-5, 6-2
• Daniel Altmaier beat Arthur Fery (WC): 4-6, 7-6 (6), 1-6, 6-3, 6-1
• Alexandre Muller beat Hugo Gaston (Q): 6-4, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (5)
• Stan Wawrinka beat Charles Broom (WC): 6-3, 7-5, 6-4
• Daniil Medvedev (5) beat Aleksandar Kovacevic: 6-3, 6-4, 6-2
• Gael Monfils beat Adrian Mannarino (22): 6-4, 3-6, 7-5, 6-4
• Brandon Nakashima beat Sebastian Baez (18): 6-2, 6-3, 6-4
• Matteo Berrettini beat Marton Fucsovics: 7-6 (3), 6-2, 3-6, 6-1
• Zhizhen Zhang (32) beat Maxime Janvier (Q): 7-6 (4), 6-3, 6-2
• Grigor Dimitrov (10) beat Dusan Lajovic: 6-3, 6-4, 7-5
• Casper Ruud (8) beat Alex Bolt (Q): 7-6 (2), 6-4, 6-4
• Fabio Fognini beat Luca Van Assche (LL): 6-1, 6-3, 7-5
• Jordan Thompson beat Pavel Kotov: 5-7, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4
• Frances Tiafoe (29) beat Matteo Arnaldi: 6-7 (5), 2-6, 6-1, 6-3, 6-3
• Borna Coric beat Felipe Meligeni Alves (Q): 6-3, 7-6 (2), 6-3
• Jan-Lennard Struff beat Fabian Marozsan: 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-2, 6-3
• Juncheng Shang beat Cristian Garin (Q): 7-5, 6-4, 6-4
• Denis Shapovalov beat Nicolas Jarry (19): 6-1, 7-5, 6-4