Thanasi Kokkinakis beats Sebastian Korda for emotional win in Adelaide | ATP Tour

Matching Report

Kokkinakis fights through pain, rallies past Korda to win in emotional Adelaide

Vacherot, Humbert, Opelka also advance to ATP 250

January 12, 2026

Thanasi Kokkinakis made a stunning comeback after a difficult 12 months with a first-round victory on Monday at the Adelaide International.

Playing his first singles match since the 2025 Australian Open, after which he underwent surgery on his pectoral muscle, Kokkinakis cruised to a 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (3) victory at his hometown ATP 250. Kokkinakis appeared to feel pain in his shoulder and received treatment, but he received treatment in a second 9-year dream from Korold. all the way to a thrilling two-hour, 26-minute win.

“Oh man, it’s been a tough 12 months, but this makes it all worth it,” Kokkinakis said in his courtroom speech. “I was looking at this in Adelaide, and I knew I was going to a packed crowd and everyone was happy. Thank you very much, I love it here.”

The Adelaide crowd roared throughout in support of Kokkinakis, who lifted his only ATP Tour title at Memorial Drive in 2022. There were concerns for the home hero in the second set, when he wavered after opening up 5-1, and he later admitted that his solo comeback was not without cost.

“It’s something I’ve been dealing with my whole career it feels like,” Kokkinakis said of the injury. “I worked hard to give myself a chance to get back on this court, the second time I hit serve and it didn’t feel right. I was talking to my team every two minutes that I should quit. I felt like, ‘Even if I win, by how much?’ I don’t know. I always try and win, especially here in Adelaide. I don’t know if I can continue but I love it here so I’m trying my best.”

And the crowd goes wild! 🗣️@TKokkinakis coming off a layup to defeat Korda and seek his first win since his February 2025 surgery.@AdelaideTennis | #AdelaideTennis pic.twitter.com/GmxEIagRmT

– ATP Tour (@atptour) January 12, 2026

Monday’s victory was Kokkinakis’ first in four Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings with No. 51 in the PIF ATP Rankings Korda. Waiting for the Australian in the second round will be fifth seed Valentin Vacherot. The Monegasque star, who stunned the tennis world last October by winning the Rolex Shanghai Masters in qualifying, defeated Miomir Kecmanovic 7-6(5), 6-4.

Like Vacherot, Ugo Humbert bounced back from round one in Brisbane in search of a straight win in his Adelaide opener. The former World No. 13 won 6-3, 7-6(3) in an all-French, left-handed battle with Terence Atmane to advance to face fourth seed Tallon Griekspoor.

Reilly Opelka and Jaume Munar also won in straight sets on Monday. Opelka defeated home favorite Alexei Popyrin 6-3, 7-6(6) with the help of 22 aces, according to Infosys ATP Stats, and will face his good friend and second seed Tommy Paul in the quarter-finals. Meanwhile, Munar lost the first three games against Daniel Altmaier but won the 12th to win 6-3, 6-0 and then met Francisco Cerundolo who is the third player.