'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Australian tennis player Thanasi Kokkinakis hilariously chose Chelsea when asked to choose between Manchester United and Manchester City,
Kokkinakis, ranked 74th in the world in singles, was in Davis Cup Finals group stage action against Switzerland in Manchester. The 27-year-old put his team in the ascendancy by beating Dominik Strickler 6-3, 7-5.
It was anything but a straightforward win for the Australian. He sent down 16 aces but had to save five break points. However, he converted two of five break points of his own to put Australia 1-0 ahead in the tie.
Following the win, Kokkinakis was asked in his on-court interview to choose one of the two Manchester teams - Manchester United or Manchester City - as he was playing in the city. The 27-year-old chose Chelsea, eliciting laughs from the crowd.
Here's the video of the incident:
Going back to the Davis Cup tie, Alex de Minaur beat Marc-Andrea Huesler in straight sets to put Australia 2-0 ahead. Mathew Ebden and Max Purcell beat Strickler and Huesler to book their team a place in the quarterfinals against Great Britain in November.
Meanwhile, the two Manchester clubs experienced contrasting fortunes in the Premier League on Saturday (September 16).
While United lost 3-1 at home to Brighton & Hove Albion - their first home loss in 32 matches spanning 13 months - City won 3-1 at West Ham United to extend their perfect start to the season to five games.
How Manchester United and Manchester City have fared this season
Manchester United have made a terrible start to their 2023-24 campaign. After opening with a rather fortunate 1-0 home win over West Ham United, they sunk to a 2-0 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur.
They returned to winning ways at home - beating Nottingham Forest 3-2 - after recovering from a two-goal deficit inside five minutes. However, they lost 3-1 at Arsenal in their next outing, conceding twice in injury time.
On Saturday, Brighton ran United ragged at Old Trafford, leading 3-0 after 71 minutes. Hannibal Mejbri's strike was a mere consolation as Erik ten Hag's side slumped to their third league loss of the season.
Meanwhile, Manchester City have been imperious since losing to Arsenal on penalties in the F Community Shield. After beating Sevilla on penalties to win their first UEFA Super Cup, Pep Guardiola's men have won their first five league games.
They lead the standings by two points, ahead of second-placed Tottenham Hotspur (13).
