Adelaide natives Thanasi Kokkinakis, Olivia Gadecki, and rising star Emerson Jones are eager to leverage home-court advantage as they launch their Adelaide International campaigns this week.
Kokkinakis, who thrilled local fans by capturing his first ATP title in Adelaide last year, returns to The Drive on Monday night to face world No.69 Yoshihito Nishioka. The 27-year-old, currently ranked No.77, relishes the opportunity to compete in front of a supportive crowd, recalling the electrifying atmosphere that propelled him to victory in 2022.
Australia’s No.1 female player, Olivia Gadecki, also anticipates a boost from the home crowd when she takes on No.3 seed Daria Kasatkina on day two. While acknowledging the tough challenge posed by the world No.9, Gadecki has previously spoken about the energizing impact of playing for home fans.
Adding to the local excitement, Australian wildcard and world No.1 junior Emerson Jones is set to make her Adelaide International debut against Chinese qualifier Wang Xinyu.
The tournament promises a wealth of exciting matches. Day one features Donna Vekic versus Yulia Putintseva and Zhang Zhizhen against Denis Shapovalov. The evening session showcases Paola Badosa facing qualifier Peyton Stearns, followed by Kokkinakis’ highly anticipated match.
Day sessions begin at 11:00 am and evening sessions at 6:30 pm. Tickets are available via Ticketmaster.