Kyrgios and Kokkinakis Lose Australian Open Doubles Opener

Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis, the 2022 Australian Open men's doubles champions known as the Special Ks, suffered a first-round defeat to fellow Australians Jason Kubler and Marc Polmans late Thursday night at Melbourne Park's Kia Arena. The pair fell 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (10-4) in a match that lasted nearly three hours and featured physical struggles, crowd energy, and heated disputes over officiating decisions.

Both teams battled evident injury issues throughout the contest. Kyrgios, who has limited his singles play in recent years due to knee and other ailments, limped noticeably and wore heavy strapping on his knee. Kokkinakis, returning from shoulder surgery that sidelined him for much of the past year, frequently clutched his right shoulder and required a medical timeout in the third set after serving at speeds over 190 kilometers per hour. Despite leading by a break at 3-1 in the deciding set, the Special Ks faltered, allowing Kubler and Polmans to force a 10-point tiebreak.

The tiebreak proved decisive and contentious. It began with a let call on Kokkinakis's opening serve, which the players believed had cleared the net cleanly, but officials ruled otherwise, denying them...