Adelaide International 2023: Jannik Sinner vs Thanasi Kokkinakis Tennis Prediction

TennisSection previews the 2023 Adelaide International as Jannik Sinner takes on Thanasi Kokkinakis in the second round on Thursday, January 5, 2023.

Will Jannik Sinner reach his first quarterfinal of the season at the Adelaide International? or will Thanasi Kokkinakis continue to impress on home soil? This should be a fascinating encounter in prospect and an upset could be on the cards. Who will prevail?

After ending his 2022 season with back-to-back defeats, Jannik Sinner returned to winning ways at the 2023 Adelaide International. The Italian young gun dismissed Kyle Edmund 6-3 6-2 and will now face home favorite Thanasi Kokkinakis for a place in the last eight. Sinner has set himself a Top 8 finish this year, which would earn him a place at the season-ending finale in his home country. But provided he can stay fit for the season, he is likely to achieve that goal. Right now though his focus will be to give his best shot at the upcoming first Grand Slam of the year in Australia.

Thanasi Kokkinakis, for his part, came through a big-serving contest against USA’s Maxime Cressy. He edged out the American in two tiebreak sets, in a match where the combined ace count crossed 40. Kokkinakis though was the clutch player in the match foiling Cressy’s attempts to serve for the second set and even saving a set point in the tiebreak to win in just over two hours. He is now the lone Australian man in the draw. Could he upset the sixth-seeded Jannik Sinner?

Jannik Sinner leads Thanasi Kokkinakis 1-0 in their head-to-head meetings. Their match at last year’s Cincinnati Masters was a classic, and on the slick hard courts of Adelaide, it is where Kokkinakis will be looking to make life difficult for Jannik Sinner. The Aussie, without doubt, shades the serving department. He has a bigger, more potent serve than Sinner. But there are fine details in Sinner’s game including his footwork, a very reliable backhand, and some calmness under pressure to swing this match in his favor. This will be a tough test for Sinner, but I expect him to pass with flying colors.