Tennis

Thanasi Kokkinakis vs Fabio Fognini Prediction and Odds: Australian Open

This First Round match at the Australian Open 2023 features Italian Fabio Fognini facing a stern challenge as the bookmakers have him pegged as a big underdog. Will home support carry his opponent Thanasi Kokkinakis across the finish line against him?

These odds from Ladbrokes were correct at the time of writing.

Thanasi Kokkinakis vs Fabio Fognini – Match Predictions

This is a tricky match to call as the higher-ranked Fognini has to defy underdog odds. Here’s a deeper dive into our tennis predictions for this fascinating First Round match.

Kokkinakis -6.5 handicap

Kokkinakis will have home support behind him on Day 2 in Melbourne as he looks to knock over fellow unseeded player Fabio Fognini. The Australian had some good time on court as part of his preparations.

A run to the Semi-final in Adelaide puts him in good enough shape to take this match. He is also up in the head-to-head against Fognini.

Kokkinakis 3-1 Set Betting

Kokkinakis does look like the favourite to move ahead to the Second-round of the Australian Open draw. But this is the first time that these two have met on the Grand Slam stage.

As the Australian is facing a player ranked much higher in the world than him, it’s worth considering Fognini sneaking a consolation set in defeat.

Thanasi Kokkinakis vs Fabio Fognini Preview

Our top tennis predictions for the Thanasi Kokkinakis vs Fabio Fognini First Round match are set, and next, we take a look at the current form of the players.

Thanasi Kokkinakis

After not making any headway in the Adelaide International 1 tournament, there was a very good run to the Semi-Finals of Adelaide 2 by Kokkinakis. He lost a deciding set in the final four against Roberto Bautista Agut.

In the Round of 16 in the event, Kokkinakis, ranked 159th in the world, had knocked out Andrey Rublev. This is his 7th appearance at Melbourne Park with three previous First Round exits and three previous Second round exits. Kokkinakis won the Australian Open doubles title last year.

Fabio Fognini

Ranked 57th in the world, Fabio Fognini faces some pressure here. He was in the spotlight as the top seed at the ASB Classic, but suffered an early exit as he blew a lead against Feliciano Lopez. That means he has had little time on the court in his build-up.

The vastly experienced played crashed out in the First Round of last year’s Australian Open. That was a clear dip having made at least the Third Round in each of his previous four appearances.

Thanasi Kokkinakis vs Fabio Fognini Head to Head

Kokkinakis is 2-0 up in the head-to-head with Fognini. The most recent meeting was last year on clay in Switzerland. The Australian won in straight sets. The first meeting was in the ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati in 2015.

Thanasi Kokkinakis vs Fabio Fognini Match Details

Thanasi Kokkinakis vs Fabio Fognini

  • When will the match start? The match will start at 04:30 am GMT on Tuesday, January 17th.
  • On which court will the match be played? The match will be played at the Kia Arena in Melbourne.
  • Where to watch AO 2023 in the UK? You can watch the Australian Open on Eurosport broadcast and online, or stream it on Discovery +.


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About the author

Lee Jackson

Lee has been a freelance sports writer for over a decade and is a massive sports fan, following Chelsea in the Premier League and Gloucester in Premiership Rugby. Few sports events get him more excited than Ashes cricket, however.

Lee has followed darts since the good old days of Eric Bristow and John Lowe producing highlight moments at the World Championships on dark winter nights.