US Open 2024: Tsitsipas’s bad luck in New York continues as the Greek suffers first-round exit

After losing a close first set in a tiebreak, Tsitsipas rallied to win the second and level the match, but appeared to have an abdominal issue late on before slumping to defeat in three hours and 54 minutes.

Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece returns against Thanasi Kokkinakis of Australia during their Men’s Singles First Round match on Day Two of the 2024 US Open. | Photo Credit: Getty Images via AFP

Stefanos Tsitsipas’s US Open woes continued as he suffered a 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 loss to Australia’s Thanasi Kokkinakis in the first round on Tuesday.

After losing a close first set in a tiebreak, Tsitsipas rallied to win the second and level the match, but appeared to have an abdominal issue late on before slumping to defeat in three hours and 54 minutes.

Tsitsipas, a two-time Grand Slam finalist, has a poor record at Flushing Meadows and has never made it past the third round of the US Open.

He also struggled in the build-up to the tournament, winning just one of his three matches at the Canadian Open and Cincinnati Masters.

For Kokkinakis, it was a first win at the New York Grand Slam since 2019.

“I had a five-set battle with him a couple of years ago at the Australian Open and I was expecting a war,” Kokkinakis said in his on-court interview.

“It was physical out there and I have a tendency to sometimes drag these matches on and have some real long battles, but I just tried to stay focused, stay the course and just tried to play every point,” the Australian said.

He next faces either Nuno Borges or Federico Coria.