Thanasi Kokkinakis praised the atmosphere in Adelaide after beating Andrey Rublev 6-4 3-6 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals.
Kokkinakis won the event last year in Adelaide and took full advantage of the home crowd as he defeated an erratic Andrey Rublev in three sets.
The hometown hero has now won 11 matches over the last two years in Adelaide and was simply too strong for the top seed.
Speaking after the match Kokkinakis told the home crowd about how amazing the atmosphere was, “I’ve had my best memories on this court,” Kokkinakis was quoted as saying by the ATP website.
“Last year was an incredible feeling. It’s something that you dream of as a kid, and to play in front of you guys in this atmosphere, it’s incredible.”
There was also praise for his own serving display as the Australian hit 17 aces on his way to a big victory.
It was a poor first set from Rublev but Kokkinakis’ efficiency on serve helped him stay ahead throughout the contest, “It’s a big part of my game,” the Australian commented.
“If I’m serving well, I feel like I have a chance to beat a lot of guys. Especially when the new balls came, I tried to take a little bit of pace off my serve and really try and land it, hit the spot. Fortunately, there were a few unreturnables.”
Kokkinakis is now into the quarter-finals where he will face Miomir Kecmanovic who edged past another Australian in the form of Jason Kubler.
The other three quarter-finals will see Jack Draper take on Karen Khachanov, Mikael Ymer face Soonwoo Kwon and Roberto Bautista Agut facing Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
