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On Thursday night, Kyrgios and Kokkinakis displayed a tamer brand, although there were still happy to entertain the crowd with all the usual gimmicks.
“Who had Special K this morning?” a fan yelled out. Kyrgios diligently raised his hand in reply.
There were also moments of brilliance in the first set, however both Kyrgios and Kokkinakis looked slightly sluggish and struggled with their serves.
Two team two were equal on games throughout the first set. But Polmans and Kubler won a crucial point after a cheeky underarm serve from Kyrgios and suddenly had break point.
The “Special Ks” ultimately dropped the opening set 4-6 and suddenly found themselves vulnerable. But they lifted to snatch the second set 6-4.
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After Kokkinakis delivered a winning forehand, Kyrgios nearly ran him over in celebration before they both looked up at the screens to watch their own replay.
Chair umpire Marijana Veljovic intervened numerous times to remind the crowd to be quiet, adding, “Guys, the support… the cheering is great… but it’s disturbing for players”.
Of course her reprimands went down like a lead balloon, prompting boos from the crowd, followed by a chorus of comical shushes.
“Guys, this isn’t funny,” Veljovic continued, sounding more like a school teacher unsuccessfully trying to discipline a bunch of 10-year-olds.
After leading 4-1 in the third set, Kokkinakis called for a medical timeout and a physio worked on his shoulder in what proved to be a crucial turning point in the match.
“The Special Ks” then struggled to get momentum back with, Kokkinakis visibly grimacing when he served. Their opponents were too consistent in the tie-breaker and sprinted out to a 6-3 lead before finishing the job with some excellent shots at the net.
Both Kokkinakis and Kyrgios looked disappointed in the post-match press conference, with Kokkinakis telling reporters he felt like fans “saw shadows” of himself and Kyrgios due to their injuries.
Australian stars Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis in action against countrymen Jason Kubler and Marc Polmans.Credit: Penny Stephens
So, is this the end of their doubles run?
Former world No.4 turned commentator Jelena Dokic was interviewed on Nine (the owner of this masthead) on Thursday before the match and urged the pair to consider full-time doubles.
“I would actually love to see them play doubles full-time, at least [play] more tournaments. I think that would be amazing,” she said on the Nine coverage.
“If they play more matches, they could be one of the best doubles pairs out there in the world.”
In a positive development, Kyrgios said he felt physically like he had ticked off all his goals in the past few weeks, and he would sort out his future playing plans once his mixed doubles campaign was finished.
“I’ve done everything I thought I could do,” he said.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do [next].”
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