A historic night for Australian tennis was topped off with Thanasi Kokkinakis and Nick Kyrgios becoming the first wildcard pair in the open era to lift the Australian Open title.
Kokkinakis and Kyrgios did so by defeating fellow Australian duo Max Purcell and Matthew Ebden 7-5, 6-4 on Rod Laver Arena on Saturday evening.
“I have won some big titles around the world, played some amazing matches. This one ranks one for me,” Kyrgios said in their post-match press conference.
“When I say I wouldn't want to do it with anybody else, I mean it. It was just special. The whole week, winning each round, I didn't take it for granted. I was soaking it in.”
“Not one time did it cross my mind that we were going to win the title. Maybe when we got to about the quarters I started maybe thinking, but honestly, like the dedication I showed all week for my team, and like, I'm just super proud of myself the way -- you know, I don't really care too much after I lost to Medvedev, but doing it with Kokk is insane. This ranks one with me,” Kyrgios explained.
“To be a Grand Slam champion with my boy, we have known each other since we were eight, nine years old, done some serious things together, have had some serious experiences, but this is incredible. We didn't expect this at all,” Kokkinakis said.
The first set looked destined for a tiebreaker with both pairs serving well, until Kokkinakis and Kyrgios managed to earn a break of serve late in the set for a 6-5 lead. The pair consolidated the break to take the first set 7-5.
In front of a boisterous Rod Laver Arena crowd, ‘The Special K’s’ - which is what Kokkinakis and Kyrgios have been labelled, earned a break of serve midway through the second set. Kokkinakis, growing in confidence completely dominated the court, and it was Max Purcell’s brilliant net play which kept ‘The M&M’s’ - which is what Purcell and Ebden have lately been referred to, in the match.
A strong service game from Kyrgios at 5-4 in the second set saw the pair hold to love and claim the Australian Open Men’s Doubles title.
“I owe it to Kokk, the way he came out this summer and won that tournament, and I'm not gonna ruin like -- we don't know how many Oz Opens we're going to play in the future due to injury or just deciding not to play,” Kyrgios exclaimed.
“There was too much on it to do everything I could to play and play well, and look what happened. This is a memory that we are never going to forget. We are going to grow old, and we're always going to, Remember that time we rolled off the couch and just won Oz Open? Honestly,” Kyrgios laughed.
“It’s fu**ing nuts,” Kokkinakis added.
Kyrgios has risen over 200 spots in the live doubles rankings to a career-high No. 40, whilst Kokkinakis has risen nearly 400 spots to a career-high No. 46.
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