July 31, 2024, Washington, D.C. | Dan Imhoff
Thanasi Kokkinakis sets up 14 Australian second round clashes.Day After beating fellow former top seed Max Purcell, who suffered cramps on Wednesday, seed Aleksandar Vukic won the ATP 500 event in Washington.
The world number 91 won 6-7(4) 6-4 6-3 over the 59th-ranked player in a two-hour and 15-minute match.Day– From Sydney, he was unable to complete the final point of the race due to severe cramps.
Purcell, who had saved two match points from being down 3-5 in the final set, bowed out as his right hand became stiff and he could no longer continue.
The pair had a great time at the net, with Kokkinakis shaking Purcell’s pinky and helping him unwrap his hand from his racket.
It was Kokkinakis’ first win since shocking Felix Auger-Aliassime in the first round of Wimbledon by rescuing four match points from two sets down, and his first match since withdrawing from the second round against Lucas Pouille at SW19 with a knee injury.
Meanwhile, Chris O’Connell failed to build on his first-round win over Harold Mayotte, losing to American 13.Day Seed Brandon Nakashima 6-2 6-2.
Kokkinakis, who beat Vukic on hardcourts in the quarter-finals in Adelaide to claim his first ATP title of 2022, will be looking to improve his record against Vukic to 2-0. The winner will face fourth seed Sebastian Korda in the quarter-finals.
Purcell later recovered enough to return to the court, defeating his countryman John Patrick Smith and Colombia’s Diego Hidalgo 6-2 6-3 along with Jordan Thompson.
The No. 2 seeds, looking for their fourth title this year, will face No. 7 seeds Julian Cash and Robert Galloway or wildcards Korda and Alex Michelson for a spot in the semifinals.
