Kokkinakis wins French Open five-set thriller on mixed day for Aussies

Thanasi Kokkinakis has come from behind to advance into the second round of the French Open. (Getty Images: Dan Istitene) Thanasi Kokkinakis has come from behind to claim a five-set victory in the first round of the French Open. Alex de Minaur and Daria Kasatkina were also Aussie first round winners at Roland Garros. Kim Birrell, Alexei Popyrin and Adam Walton will all play their first round singles matches on Tuesday. Link copiedShareShare articleThanasi Kokkinakis has roared back from the brink of defeat after four-and-a-quarter hours in sweltering Paris heat to launch another trademark five-set comeback at the French Open. A hectic, mixed Monday for Australia's elite also saw Alex de Minaur and Daria Kasatkina braving "brutal" conditions to prevail. Injury-plagued Kokkinakis, who feared at the Australian Open his career could finally be sunk by chronic shoulder trouble, again defied all odds to outlast French leftie Terence Atmane. The South Australian was two sets to one down, then 5-3 and 30-0 behind in the decider as the local served for the match while roared on by a fevered home crowd. But Kokkinakis conjured up all his old famed resilience to haul himself back and prevail 6-7 (5-7), 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5. It was classic Kokkinakis, going to a fifth-set decider for the 16th time in his career and eking out a ninth win after 4 hours and 18 minutes. Amid all the baiting by the crowd, he riled them further by furiously disputing a line call with the umpire just as he was serving to take the match into a final set. He won that argument, too. For a 30-year-old who reckons the next 12 months will make or break his career as he attempts his latest comeback from a career-saving shoulder operation 18 months ago, it felt simply glorious. Earlier, de Minaur was not at his very best but still had too much quality for British qualifier Toby Samuel. The world number seven pronounced himself "happy with a very consistent match" after outplaying the main draw debutant 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 and building on the new focus and confidence he had gleaned by reaching last week's Hamburg Open semifinals. Conditions could hardly have been further removed from last week's cold and rain in Germany, but de Minaur loved the "very hot and lively" sun-baked courts. "I'm very happy with the way I had adapted, I did what I needed to do," he said. By the third set, with temperatures now soaring to 33 degrees Celsius, de Minaur really got to work, winning the last four games for the loss of just three points to set up what he knows will be a much more challenging date with rising Belgian star Alexander Blockx in round two. A month after plummeting to her lowest ranking for 11 years, Kasatkina was thrilled to prevail 6-4, 6-4 against tough Turkish customer Zeynep Sonmez. "Honestly, a couple of weeks ago I would probably lose this match," said the resurgent 29-year-old after a see-saw battle featuring 10 breaks. The weather did not inspire other Aussies, but the sunshine smile couldn't be ripped from the face of 17-year-old Emerson Jones, even while being beaten 6-1, 6-2 by Iga Świątek on Court Philippe Chatrier. Even needing treatment after the first set for a blister on her racquet hand could not stop the four-time champion from giving the Gold Coast former world junior number one a one-hour lesson. ABC Sport Daily is your daily sports conversation. We dive into the biggest story of the day and get you up to speed with everything else that's making headlines. "It's really exciting," Jones said. "So great to step out on that court in front of that many people against Iga." Australian women's number one Maya Joint did not feel the same way about her own 6-1, 6-2 loss. Still feeling her way back after two months out with a back injury, she was outclassed by 28th seed Anastasia Potapova in 71 minutes. Talia Gibson, so brilliant in the sunshine swing in the US, again found the clay a very different matter, succumbing from a set up against the ever durable Kazakh Yulia Putintseva 4-6, 6-4, 6-1. Fresh from outstaying de Minaur in the Hamburg semifinal, American Tommy Paul turned Aussie slayer again, fighting back to beat Rinky Hijikata 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-4. Hijikata's fellow Sydneysider Aleksandar Vukic went down 6-3, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) to Belgian Raphaël Collignon. Copy linkFacebookX (formerly Twitter)PromotionSport'My time to go': The words that showed Daniher's humanity in tragedyAnalysis by Andrew McGarry

Kokkinakis wins French Open five-set thriller on mixed day for Aussies

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Kokkinakis wins French Open five-set thriller on mixed day for Aussies

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