It is possible to advance from the group stage at the ATP Finals only with one victory, but after Wednesday's opening doubles match, the Australian team knew they needed a victory.
Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic defeated Wesley Koolhof and Neil Skupski. Therefore, Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis needed to beat Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek as in case of their loss, there would be certainly two teams with at least 2 points on Friday, while the Aussies wouldn't have a chance to collect more than one.
However, Kyrgios and Kokkinakis didn't start well. They got broken immediately on their first service game and faced two more break points two games later. Despite not getting broken again, they lost the first set 3-6 and had a difficult job ahead of them.
In the second set, Dodig and Krajicek had a golden opportunity to finish the match in two sets as they had a break point in the ninth game. Yet, they couldn't use their chance and Kyrgios and Kokkinakis showed their qualities in the next game. The Australian duo won the second set 6-4 and forced a decider.
But it wasn't going well for them in the match tie-break. After an opening ace from Kyrgios, the duo lost two points on Kokkinakis' serve and they were soon 1-5 down. A late net call from the umpire didn't help them as Kyrgios threw his racquet in anger but that seemed to be a turning point for the Aussies.
They got one mini break back and Kyrgios impressed with two superb serves to cut the deficit to 4-5. With a double fault from Krajicek, the crowd in Turin erupted and the 2022 Australian Open doubles champions were back in it.
Locked in, the Australian duo made no more mistakes and completed a sensational comeback by winning the match tie-break 10-6 and keeping their chances of advancing at the 2022 ATP Finals. On Friday, they will play against Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic.
0 Comments