Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis saw their Brisbane International campaign come to a close in a wildly entertaining doubles encounter, a performance that may still boost Kyrgios's hopes for an Australian Open singles wild card.
A Rollercoaster Match on Pat Rafter Arena
The Australian duo, famously dubbed the 'Special Ks', suffered a 6-0, 1-6, (10-6) defeat in the round of 16 to the French sixth seeds, Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul. The match was a tale of two extremes, leaving the Pat Rafter Arena crowd captivated by the shifting momentum.
The contest began in disastrous fashion for the home favourites. Kyrgios was broken in his very first service game, a point compounded when Kokkinakis fell on the court. The French pair capitalised fully, dominating the opening set and handing the Australians a rare 'bagel' – a 6-0 set loss.
Kyrgios Takes on Motivational Role in Fightback
Facing embarrassment, Kyrgios transformed into a vocal leader and motivator for his partner. At 0-5 down in the first set, he was heard urging Kokkinakis to play on instinct. "When we overthink things, it's not us," Kyrgios said. "We play on instinct, then we feel it. Just play on instinct."
The pep talk sparked a remarkable revival. Kokkinakis held serve to love to open the second set, finally getting them on the scoreboard. The momentum swung violently as the Australians began to play with the freedom Kyrgios advocated. The crowd erupted when Kokkinakis sealed a mammoth rally with a powerful backhand winner. A break of serve soon followed, aided by a Reboul double fault, and the set was swiftly levelled.
Kyrgios's support was multifaceted; at one changeover, he even acted as a part-time masseur, addressing a sore neck for Kokkinakis. After firing a winner to secure another break, Kyrgios celebrated with a mini dance, electrifying the Brisbane crowd.
Tiebreak Defeat Leaves Open Wild Card Question
The comeback was halted in the decisive first-to-10-point match tiebreak. The Australians again found themselves in a deep hole, trailing 0-5. They bravely clawed back to 6-8, but the experienced French duo held their nerve to clinch the next two points and the match.
Despite the loss, the performance – following an impressive first-round win over grand slam champions Matt Ebden and Rajeev Ram – presents a positive case for Kyrgios. Australian Open officials now face a decision on whether to grant him one of their three remaining singles wildcards for the year's first major. His leadership and evident fighting spirit in Brisbane will be strong points in his favour.
The 2022 Australian Open doubles champions have been plagued by injuries since their fairytale Melbourne triumph. Their French opponents acknowledged the struggle, with Reboul saying post-match, "A little word for Kokkinakis and Kyrgios – they've had a lot of injuries, so very happy to see them in the tournament again, and I hope we will have many other battles."
