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Match details
Fixture: Sebastian Korda vs (Q) Thanasi Kokkinakis.
Date: 10 March 2022.
Tournament: BNP Paribas Open.
Round: First round (Round of 128).
Venue: Indian Wells, USA.
Category: ATP Masters 1000.
Surface: Hardcourt.
Prize money: $8,584,055.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video. | India - Voot.
Sebastian Korda vs Thanasi Kokkinakis preview
Home favorite Sebastian Korda will square off against 2022 Australian Open doubles champion Thanasi Kokkinakis in the first round of the 2022 Indian Wells Open on Thursday.
Korda started the year by upsetting the higher-ranked Cameron Norrie in the opening round of the Australian Open on his Melbourne Park debut. The American made it to the third round, where he lost to Pablo Carreno Busta.
Korda then reached the quarterfinals of the Delray Beach Open. However, he was unable to get a second straight win over Norrie, losing to him in the last eight. He was then upset by Dusan Lajovic in the first round of the Mexican Open.
Korda made his Indian Wells debut last year and made it to the second round.
After struggling with injuries for years, Thanasi Kokkinakis has been relatively healthy in 2022 and has made the most of it. He performed well at the two ATP 250 events in Adelaide, reaching the semifinals of the first and winning his maiden career title in the second.
Kokkinakis then surprisingly lost in the first round of the Australian Open in singles. However, he teamed up with long-time friend Nick Kyrgios and the duo went on to lift the trophy in the doubles event. It was their first Grand Slam title in any discipline.
In his next tournament in Delray Beach, Kokkinakis lost in the first round. At the Indian Wells Open, he defeated Thomas Fabbiano and Vasek Pospisil to secure his place in the main draw.
Sebastian Korda vs Thanasi Kokkinakis head-to-head
The two have faced off just once before, with Korda leading 1-0 in the head-to-head. He won their only encounter in straight sets at the Delray Beach Open last month.
Sebastian Korda vs Thanasi Kokkinakis prediction
The duo have played against each other quite recently and will be familiar with each other's games. Kokkinakis will aim to avoid the mistakes that led to his loss last time out against Korda.
The Australian has shown what he's capable of when he's fully fit. Meanwhile, Korda has risen up the ranks with some good results over the last two years.
Kokkinakis is a big server, with his ace count frequently reaching double digits in his matches. However, he didn't serve that well the last time he played against the American.
Korda was also impressive on return then and will look to produce a similar performance once again. Both players pack a punch with their groundstrokes and will look to dictate the rallies from the baseline. Kokkinakis will also look to rely on his doubles skills and make some handy plays around the net.
Korda has been the more steady player of the two over the last year and is likely to withstand the challenge presented by Kokkinakis yet again.
Prediction: Sebastian Korda to win in straight sets.
