US Open 2018: Bernard Tomic accused of tanking as Thanasi Kokkinakis wins qualifier

James Pavey

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US Open 2018: Bernard Tomic accused of tanking as Thanasi Kokkinakis wins qualifier image

The battle of the Aussies for US Open qualification went the way of Thanasi Kokkinakis, but focus again zeroed in on Bernard Tomic, who earned the ire of some for 'tanking'.

Tomic won the first set 6-3, but Kokkinakis rallied to piece together nine consecutive games to set up victory.

The 6-0 second set result in favour of Kokkinakis was never going to do the divisive Tomic any favours, but he fought to pull some respectability back in the third set.

However, apart from the second set bagel, it was a shot when Tomic was on serve in the third that raised eyebrows, with social media users pulling out the 'T' word.

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Last week at the Cincinnati Masters, Nick Kyrgios admitted to his own box that he was tanking during a second set meltdown against Borna Ćorić where he didn’t win a single game. However, he still went on to win the match.

On Wednesday (AEST), many thought Tomic had taken the same medicine.

With Kokkinakis up 3-0 in the third set, Tomic served to get the game underway, and had his countryman chasing at the baseline.

However, when Tomic decided to volley Kokkinakis' return, the effort disappeared, and the shot was lucky to even make it to the net, let alone hit it.


The crowd threw their heads back and groaned, and one commentator summed up the feeling: "That point is kind of a microcosm of what's gone on since the start of the second set."

"He looks like he's not trying, he looks like he's not into it, but that's just the way he goes about business on the court," his commentary partner said.

Tomic quickly got on with it and was ready to get into his next service action.

However, the damage was done as Kokkinakis wrapped up the third set 6-3, and with it, the match.


 

Regardless, that didn't stop a chorus of social media users from letting their keyboards do the talking.



 




 


 

 


 



 


 





Off the 3-6 6-0 6-3 victory, Kokkinakis will play Germany's Yannick Maden in the second round of qualifying.

It was a good day for the Aussies, as Alex Bolt and Arina Rodionova also won through to the second round.

James Pavey

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