Thanasi 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.
On a manic, mixed Monday for Australia’s elite, with Alex de Minaur and Daria Kasatkina also braving “brutal” conditions to prevail, injury-plagued Kokkinakis, who feared at the Australian Open his career could be finally be sunk by chronic shoulder trouble, again defied all odds to outlast French leftie Terence Atmane.
Two sets to one down, then 5-3 and 30-0 behind in the decider as the local served for the match, roared on by a fevered home crowd, Adelaide’s finest 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 four hours 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 op 18 months ago, it felt simply glorious.
Earlier, Alex de Minaur was not at his very best but still had too much quality for British qualifier Toby Samuel as he launched his French Open bid with a straight-sets stroll in the Paris sunshine.
But while Australia’s top hope and a rejuvenated Daria Kasatkina powered through to the second round on a sweltering Monday at Roland Garros, teenager Emerson Jones found the going rather too hot as she was given an hour-long lesson on Court Philippe Chatrier by the four-time champion Iga Swiatek.
De Minaur reckoned he had rediscovered his focus and confidence at the Hamburg Open last week after a clay-court slump in which he’d suffered three early tournament exits.
And buoyed by stepping onto the sun-baked Roland Garros courts, he outplayed British main draw debutant Toby Samuel 6-4 6-4 6-2.
The big-serving, confident 23-year-old Briton had shown he wasn’t to be trifled with as he sent Belgian veteran David Goffin into Roland Garros retirement with victory in qualifying, and having risen 1,786 places to No 159 in the world since the end of 2024, he matched the world No 7 in the early exchanges.
But eighth seed de Minaur was too solid, grabbing a break at 3-2 after a series of errors from Samuel, and taking out the set in 35 minutes.
The Sydneysider was out of sorts at the start of the second, playing an awful service game to go down 2-0 before hitting back instantly, taking control again with a break for 4-3, even though the Brit will look back on a series of missed chances.
By the third set, with temperatures now soaring to 33C, de Minaur hit the accelerator, winning the last four games for the loss of just three points to set up what promises to 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, the Paris courts where she enjoyed her best grand slam in reaching the semis in 2022 seemed to again bring the best out of Kasatkina as she prevailed 6-4 6-4 against Turkey’s Zeynep Sonmez.
Last year, the newly qualified Australian player Kasatkina proved “the last Aussie standing” as she made the fourth round.
She will be looking for another deep run after holding firm on the biggest points against Sonmez in a contest featuring 10 breaks of serve.
There was never any chance of 17-year-old Jones causing one of the great Roland Garros upsets as Swiatek returned to the court that she used to dominate.
Almost inevitably, Swiatek gave the Gold Coast prospect a 6-1 6-2 drubbing, despite needing treatment after the first set for a blister on her racquet hand.
That’s not to say Jones didn’t give a decent account of herself after losing the first eight points of the match, shocking the Polish third seed by breaking back with a scintillating inside-out forehand winner.
Jones, the former junior world No 1 on her overseas grand slam debut, also showed commendable spirit after picking herself up following a tumble.
She broke again when 3-0 down in the second set before Swiatek quickly wrapped up matters on the hour.
