Kokkinakis' Heartbroken Text to Aussie Great; Kyrgios' Raging Swipe After Doubles Drama
Nick Kyrgios unleashed a barrage of criticism at the selective use of in-game technology during the 2026 Australian Open Men's Doubles, following his and Thanasi Kokkinakis' dramatic opening-round exit. The duo, known as 'Special Ks', fought valiantly, recovering from a set down to force a third and final set, which went to a super tiebreaker. However, they ultimately fell short, losing 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (10-4) to fellow Aussies Jason Kubler and Marc Polmans.
The match, a thrilling two-hour and 49-minute affair, reached its emotional peak during the fourth point of the super tiebreaker. Kokkinakis appeared to have hit a winner at the net, but the call was overturned on review at the request of the opposing team, Kubler. Replays revealed that Kokkinakis had illegally made contact before the ball crossed over to his side of the court, with his racquet clearly overreaching the net. This pivotal moment reversed the point, sending 'Special Ks' into a 1-3 deficit from which they never recovered.
Kyrgios' frustration was palpable, especially regarding a Kokkinakis serve in the opening point of the super tiebreak, which was deemed a let, despite his belief it hadn't touched the net. He questioned the fairness of reviewing a ball hit over the net but not a serve over the net, stating, 'How can you review a ball that’s been hit over the net, but you can’t review a serve over the net?'
The 30-year-old's emotions boiled over, criticizing the rules' inconsistencies, 'Some of these rules are just so, so, so dumb, they don’t make sense.' He emphasized the impact of these decisions, 'We’re playing for millions of dollars, we’ve both been injured (and) both trying to get to this stage.'
Kokkinakis, 29, also faced challenges, calling for a medical timeout with his duo up 4-1 in the third set due to a right shoulder injury that plagued him throughout the match. Post-match, he expressed his disappointment, 'I thought I’d be able to get through a doubles (match), so that’s disappointing.'
The winning pair, Kubler and Polmans, will advance to the second round of the Men's Doubles, facing Switzerland's Jakub Paul and Brit Marcus Willis. The Doubles champions in both Men's and Women's categories will take home a substantial AUD $900,000 prize.
Kyrgios, meanwhile, is set to compete in Mixed Doubles with Canadian Leylah Fernandez on Friday evening at Court 3 (ANZ Arena).
