Thanasi Kokkinakis stuns Milos Raonic in straight sets at Queen's
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Updated 20/06/2017 at 17:45 GMT
Australian 21-year-old Thanasi Kokkinakis stunned Milos Raonic in straight sets in the Aegon Championship at Queen’s on Tuesday.
Australia's Thanasi Kokkinakis celebrates beating Canada's Milos Raonic during their men's singles first round tennis match at the ATP Aegon Championships tennis tournament at Queen's Club in west London on June 20, 2017.
Image credit: Eurosport
Kokkinakis has been blighted by injury problems, but the talented youngster looked in blistering form in west London, trading blows with Raonic in a meeting of two extremely big hitters.
A 7-5 victory in the first set tie-break set Kokkinakis on his way to the win, and he held his nerve to take the second set tie-break 8-6.
Raonic said he would spend time on the practice court and in the gym after his defeat by Kokkinakis.
It was the Australian's first win over a top 10 player as he began the long road back from playing only one match in 2016. A series of injuries over the past two years have sent his ranking to 993 from 69.
"I've been out of the game for so long, it's huge for me," the 21-year-old, now ranked 698, said.
"I'm trying to look forward now and get myself going week by week, and I can't wait to play my next round."
The result backs up comments by Kokkinakis’ compatriot Nick Kyrgios from Monday, with the Australian No. 1 saying:
For me, apart from Zverev and Thiem, I think Thanasi is right up there with those guys. He can still play such a high level that as soon as he gets his body right and as soon as he has a bit more luck, he’ll be right up there. Hitting with him today, his level is still so high.
The young Australian will play either Daniil Medvedev or Nicolas Mahut in the next round.
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