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Kyrgios, de Minaur win openers in Cincy

Glenn Moore and Darren WaltonAAP
Australia's Thanasi Kokkinakis has been beaten by Jannik Sinner in a three-set epic in Cincinnati. (AP PHOTO)
Camera IconAustralia's Thanasi Kokkinakis has been beaten by Jannik Sinner in a three-set epic in Cincinnati. (AP PHOTO) Credit: AP

Nick Kyrgios and Alex de Minaur have marched on as fellow Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis lost a titanic encounter that would have befitted a much grander stage than the Cincinnati Masters first round.

Kyrgios rebounded from a three-set quarter-final loss in Montreal to Hubert Hurkacz with a 7-5 6-4 win over talented Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in his tournament opener.

"It was a tricky match. The conditions here are much different to Montreal. It's more lively and hard to keep the ball in," Kyrgios said.

"I just mentally played the big points well. He's a hell of a tricky player. He's so talented, he's got so many shots at his disposal.

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"So I knew I had to serve well and try to dictate as much as I can because his backhand's incredible."

The Wimbledon runner-up next faces big-hitting American Taylor Fritz chasing a 17th win from 19 matches as he continues his promising build-up to the US Open starting in less than two weeks.

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"Fritzy's a good friend of mine. We represented the World together at Laver Cup," Kyrgios said.

"He's an all-round player. Got a huge serve, likes to play on the front foot. Similar to myself. There's going to be a lot of big serving but we'll see how it goes."

De Minaur also advanced in straight sets, dismissing Swiss qualifier Henri Laaksonen 6-2 6-2 in 67 minutes.

The Australian No.1 now meets Canada's seventh-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime, who had a first-round bye.

Kokkinakis, though, has been left to focus on the doubles with Kyrgios after losing a three-hour, 15-minute cliffhanger to Italian world No.12 Jannik Sinner.

In a thrilling encounter full of excellent, attacking tennis, Sinner denied Kokkinakis 6-7 (9-11) 6-4 7-6 (8-6).

Kokkinakis led 5-4 in the final-set tiebreak, but Sinner, on his 21st birthday, nailed a forehand down-the-line winner then forced a match point with a nerveless drop shot.

Kokkinakis saved that, but a backhand into the net gave his opponent another chance that Sinner sealed when the South Australian fired a forehand long.

"I love to play tennis and to do the thing you love on your birthday is the best thing you can do," said a relieved Sinner. "Today was a happy ending so I'm very happy with that."

Kokkinakis had begun strongly, forcing three break points in the opening game of the match.

He was unable to claim the break, though, as an entertaining first set ended up being decided in a mammoth, topsy-turvy tiebreak.

Australia's world No.75 eventually nabbed it on his fourth set point before Sinner levelled the match then cruelly denied Kokkinakis a big win in the third-set tiebreak.

Kokkinakis remains alive in the doubles, with he and Kyrgios, the 2022 Australian Open champions, to face top seeds Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury for a place in the quarter-finals.

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