Kyrgios and Kokkinakis Crash Out of Brisbane International Doubles After Dramatic Tiebreak Loss

Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis’ Brisbane International doubles campaign has come to an end after a dramatic match tiebreak loss to French pair Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul at Pat Rafter Arena.

The Australian duo endured a nightmare start in their round-of-16 clash, conceding a first-set bagel as the sixth seeds dominated early and threatened an embarrassing early exit for the crowd favourites.

But the Special Ks responded in trademark fashion, roaring back to take the second set 6–1 and ignite the Brisbane crowd. Their revival, however, was undone by a disastrous 0–5 start in the first-to-10 match tiebreak, with Doumbia and Reboul eventually closing out a 6–0, 1–6, 10–6 victory.

Despite the defeat, fans were treated to plenty of theatre as Kyrgios repeatedly lifted Kokkinakis when momentum was firmly against them.

Kyrgios was broken in his opening service game after Kokkinakis slipped to the ground and was struck by the ball on the winning point, setting the tone for a brutal opening set. The French duo capitalised on a series of unforced errors to race through the set without dropping a game.

At the changeover with Australia trailing 0–5, Kyrgios delivered a blunt pep talk to his long-time friend.

“When we overthink things, it’s not us,” Kyrgios told Kokkinakis.
“We play on instinct. Just play on instinct.”

Kokkinakis finally put Australia on the board by holding to love to start the second set, sparking a momentum shift. With the Australians leading 2–1 at the next changeover, Kyrgios continued to urge his partner to play freely.

The crowd erupted when Kokkinakis ended a long rally with a thundering backhand winner, before another backhand and a Reboul double fault handed the Australians a crucial break. Kyrgios later noticed Kokkinakis struggling with a sore neck and briefly stepped in to offer a quick massage.

A powerful Kokkinakis ace pushed the lead to 4–1, while Kyrgios celebrated with a short dance after producing a winner to extend the advantage to 5–1. The Australians closed out the set comfortably to force a deciding match tiebreak.

Once again, though, the French pair struck early, surging to a 5–0 lead. Kyrgios and Kokkinakis clawed their way back to 8–6, but Doumbia and Reboul held their nerve, winning the final two points to seal the upset.

The Special Ks were the toast of Melbourne after winning the Australian Open doubles title in 2022 and, despite injury setbacks since, showed glimpses of their best in Brisbane. They opened their campaign with a surprise three-set win over grand slam champions Matt Ebden and Rajeev Ram.

The result also leaves Australian Open organisers facing a decision over whether to award Kyrgios one of the remaining singles wildcards for the season’s first major.

Reboul paid tribute to the Australians after the match.

“They’ve had a lot of injuries, so I’m very happy to see them back in the tournament,” he said. “I hope we will have many other battles.”