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Jaume Munar and Thanasi Kokkinakis engaged in a mid-match argument during their fiery clash at the 2023 Madrid Open. And tensions boiled over again as the pair were involved in a heated exchange at the net.
Munar thrilled the home crowd with a hard-fought 7-6(7), 7-6(3) win over Kokkinakis in the first round on Wednesday. The Spaniard overcame a 2-5 deficit in the second set to record his first-ever main draw victory in the Masters event.
During the first set tiebreaker, Thanasi Kokkinakis expressed frustration with Jaume Munar's constant dialogue with his coach's box. The Australian raised the issue with chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani before Munar interjected.
Kokkinakis shot back at the Spaniard, saying:
"Bro, you don't shut up."
Addressing Lahyani again, Kokkinakis claimed that it was ironic for Munar to complain about talking on court, given that he had engaged in similar behavior throughout the match.
"I just thought it was rich for him to complain about talking because he's done the same thing the whole time," he told Lahyani.
Following the match, the pair exchanged words once again during a two-minute-long handshake at the net.
Jaume Munar reportedly took issue with being told to shut up by the Australian.
"Don't tell me to shut up again," he said.
Kokkinakis replied:
"Or what?"
Jaume Munar will take on Tallon Griekspoor in the second round in Madrid. Griekspoor leads 1-0 in his head-to-head against Munar, having defeated the Spaniard at the ATP 250 Tata Open Maharashtra earlier this year.
How Jaume Munar has fared during the clay season so far
Jaume Munar commenced his clay court season at the Giron Challenger in Spain. He defeated Dalibor Svrcina and Nicholas David Ionel in straight sets before losing in the quarterfinals to Gastao Elias.
Competing at the ATP Challenger Grand Prix Hassan II next, Munar defeated Elliot Benchetrit in straight sets only to lose his subsequent Round of 16 encounter to Andrea Vavassori.
At the Monte-Carlo Masters, the 25-year-old battled past Marc-Andrea Huesler in the first round. However, he was unable to progress further as he was defeated by eventual champion Andrey Rublev in the second round. The Spaniard was then defeated in the first round of the Barcelona Open in straight sets by Matteo Arnaldi.
Munar currently holds a 6-11 win/loss record for the 2023 season.
