Australia’s Thanasi Kokkinakis takes on British talent Jack Draper in what should be an epic battle on John Cain Arena tonight.
The pair have met on three occasions, all of which were tight affairs.
With Draper owning a 2-1 lead in their head-to-head and being the 15th-seed, on paper, he should be the favourite to win this.
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However, with a raucous crowd behind Kokkinakis and injury clouds over both players, this should be an interesting match-up.
So, how can the Aussie win the match to take him into his first-ever third-round appearance in Melbourne?
Let’s take a look at three key areas.
Get on top early
Draper has struggled with a hip injury with his win on Monday being his first since October last year.
In that match, the Brit snuck past Argentine Mariano Navone in five tough sets.
He looked underdone in match preparation, racking up almost 90 unforced errors.
The 23-year-old started slow, with Navonne winning the first set and then going up two sets to one.
Kokkinakis, on the other hand, played two tough matches in Adelaide before battling past Roman Safiullin in four sets.
The Aussie is match-hardened and can get the jump on Draper early to make the task of winning even more daunting for the Brit.
Although the match is not being played in hot conditions, Draper has often struggled physically in long affairs.
If he’s down a set or even two, a long five-set battle with an injury won’t be ideal.
Being aggressive at the right opportunities
Draper has an all-court game with strong groundstrokes, a good serve and is not afraid to approach the net.
When Kokkinakis defeated Draper last year on the hard courts of Los Cabos, he was able to win many points on the Brit’s second serve.
With his own big serve and strong forehand, holding serve consistently is a must.
If he keeps his first serve percentage high and finds the opportunities to break, the match can play out in Kokkinakis' hands.
However, with the South Australian carrying a shoulder injury, this is easier said than done.
Take the battle to Draper
Kokkinakis is one of few players who has a higher percentage of rally wins between seven to 10 shots compared to three or fewer.
Anyone who has watched a Thanasi Kokkinakis match knows you can be in for long rallies before he finds the right opportunity to rip a winner.
If he can follow this same tactic, he makes the points longer for Draper and finds the right opportunity to win the point.
The Brit is a lefty which makes focusing on his weaker backhand a little counter-intuitive (as it’s the righty’s forehand), but it’s something he has done effectively against him in the past.
Can Kokkinakis do it?
Draper is still the favourite, yet if Kokkinakis is 'on', it can be hard for almost anyone to get past him.
However, often the margin for error in his game can be thin and if he’s a little off, Draper can capitalise.
Both have every chance of winning this and also every chance of injury scuppering their chances.
So we could be in for a very long or short night.
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