WATCH: Ben Shelton stunned by Thanasi Kokkinakis in Davis Cup thriller; Aussie celebrates with huge roar after converting 7th match point
Thanasi Kokkinakis scored a big win over Ben Shelton in the 2024 Davis Cup Finals' Australia vs USA tie. The Aussie saved four match points to come through a rollercoaster 6-1, 4-6, 7-6(14). The win put Australia one up over the USA in the quarterfinal tie and gave fans nearly three hours of thrilling tennis action.
Kokkinakis, who needed seven match points to close out the win, was emotional after he won. After Shelton finally sent a backhand long down 14-15 in the third-set tiebreaker, Kokkinakis fell in ecstasy. He was quick to get up and acknowledge his opponent. An enthused team captain met him, following which he let out a roar to celebrate his incredible win over a much higher-ranked opponent.
The Davis Cup’s official handle shared a video of the lengthy final rally and the explosive celebration on X and tweeted:
"Look what it means [fire emoji]. Thanasi Kokkinakis seals the win on his 7th match point."
During his on-court interview, Kokkinakis reflected on his win over Ben Shelton, dubbing the lengthy encounter and its outcome “crazy.”
"I tried to fight until the end" - Thanasi Kokkinakis after Davis Cup win over Ben Shelton
Thanasi Kokkinakis looked back at Australia’s rich legacy at the Davis Cup and finals showings from the last two years, saying it was not always easy to not be a part of the team on all those occasions. He thanked team captain Lleyton Hewitt for showing faith in him and selecting him to play the first singles rubber before saying he was willing to “fight until the end.”
“That was crazy,” Thanasi Kokkinakis said after the match. “The last two years we have made it to the Finals, I haven’t been able to play and that was disappointing. But Lleyton showed a lot of faith in me and I tried to fight until the end.”
While Kokkinakis’ win gave Australia a 1-0 lead over the USA in the quarterfinal tie, Taylor Fritz later leveled things up at 1-1 by beating Alex De Minaur in the second singles. The tie results will thus be decided by the winner-takes-all doubles encounter featuring Shelton and Paul for the USA and Matt Ebden and Jordan Thompson for Australia.