WATCH: Jaume Munar defeats Thanasi Kokkinakis in heated match
Jaume Munar advances in the Madrid Open after defeating Australian star Thanasi Kokkinakis in what ended up being a very heated match.
The pair faced off in the round of 128 yesterday. It was the first time the foes had ever encountered one another in their professional careers.
Munar came into the fixture looking very promising, having won four out of his last seven matches on the clay court. His last result saw him receive a 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 loss in Monte Carlo to fifth seed Andrey Rublev.
Despite coming off of a loss, the Spaniard was certainly favoured to win. His opponent Kokkinakis last played on clay in May last year. This made it a very unpredictable match for the player, who had no clay experience this season.
The pair clashed for a heated two hours and 38 minutes before the Spanish star was able to claim a 6-7 (7-9), 6-7 (3-7) win over his 27-year-old opponent.
The stars produced some exciting tennis, with some robust efforts that were incredible to behold.
The match saw some vulgar moments unfold, with both players trading verbal blows.
During the first set tie-break, Kokkinakis told the umpire about Munar repeatedly talking to his coach, who had been sitting courtside. The Spaniard tried to extinguish the negative comments that Kokkinakis was spewing to the chair umpire.
Kokkinakis was not impressed by the Spaniard’s interjection, resulting in him shouting at Munar, saying, “Bro, you don’t shut up.”
He then told the match official, “I just thought it was rich for him to complain about talking because he’s done the same thing the whole time.” This surely would have given Munar the aggression to motivate himself to win.
The end of their match saw a heated moment spark off between the players at the handshake; thankfully, the net was in the way because it certainly could have gotten worse.
Jaume Munar confronted his Australian opponent saying, “Don’t tell me to shut up again.,” to which Kokkinakis responded with an arrogant, “Or what?”
The pair spoke for almost two minutes before the umpire interjected, resulting in a slightly cool second handshake between the stars.
Munar is set to face 30th seed Tallon Griekspoor in the round of 64 tomorrow. The Dutch star has had a difficult clay court season, having won one of his last four matches on the surface. His last fixture saw him receive a narrow 6-7 (4-7), 6-7 (4-7) defeat to Australian Alexei Popyrin in the Banja Luka Open.
An exciting fixture awaits us, that will hopefully be a lot calmer than Munar’s last one.
READ MORE: Emma Raducanu’s bizarre press conference in Madrid leaves reports confused
If you want to follow up on some more tennis excitement or live updatesWATCH MORE ATP CONTENT HERE.
Latest
-
WTA Tour
Charleston Open hand former No 1 wildcard to start her clay season
Wildcards were forthcoming for former world No 1 Caroline Wozniacki, world No 13 Beatriz Haddad Maia, and Charleston-native Shelby Rogers.
-
Tennis News
Former world No 1 weighs in on Iga Swiatek’s ‘aura’ as he makes ‘intimidating’ claim
“The more accomplishments Iga Swiatek has, the more intimidating it is to play her.”
-
WTA Tour
Naomi Osaka’s clay swing fills out with Rouen wildcard
Naomi Osaka gets Rouen wildcard to kickstart her clay swing.
-
WTA Tour
Danielle Collins balks at being asked to explain retirement
Danielle Collins has responded to those who question why she has decided to retire from tennis at the end of the current season.
-
Tennis News
‘Novak Djokovic’s problem is psychological’, assesses Roger Federer’s former coach
“Undoubtedly, ‘Nole’ must have fire inside, otherwise he is missing something.”
-
Tennis News
Daniil Medvedev discusses his popularity compared to Carlos Alcaraz as he offers a theory
“For me, the result is the most important, it’s more important than, let’s say, looking good on the court.”
-
Tennis News
Andy Roddick gives honest verdict on Novak Djokovic’s shock coaching split
“I was surprised. You don’t look to make moves in March or April. This has had to be a surprise to both of them.”
-
ATP Tour
Jannik Sinner makes revealing comment on his eyesight after Miami Open win
Jannik Sinner opened up on his use of contact lenses on court.
-
Tennis News
Martina Navratilova serves up a desperate verdict on Andy Murray’s comeback hopes
Andy Murray is likely to have to wait several days to learn how long he will be sidelined for by the ankle injury he suffered in Miami.
-
Tennis News
Jannik Sinner reveals he has been having Call of Duty sessions with Italian football hero
Jannik Sinner has had some high-profile gaming clashes with Italy’s No 1 goalkeeper.