Australian natives Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis took the men’s doubles title at the 2022 Australian Open in Melbourne on Saturday after defeating compatriots Matt Ebden and Max Purcell.
Kyrgios and Kokkinakis became the first homegrown duo to win the title in Australia since Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde in 1997. The tournament marked only their fourth Grand Slam event playing as a team.
The pair, who are longtime friends, took the trophy after a dominant series of matches in which they beat the number one and three ranked teams.
“I can honestly say we did not expect to even come close to this,” Kokkinakis said during the awards ceremony. “With the help of you guys all week, it’s been unbelievable — the coverage it got and the support for us — we couldn’t ask for anything more.”
“This week has been a dream come true for me,” Kyrgios said. “I wouldn’t have wanted to do this with anyone else.”
The doubles victory comes as Kokkinakis’ second title this month after he won his first ATP singles at Adelaide in early January.
It was the first all-Australian men’s doubles final at the Australian Open since 1980, when Mark Edmondson and Kim Warwick beat Peter McNamara and Paul McNamee.
Featured image: Nick Kyrgios, right, and Thanasi Kokkinakis, left, of Australia pose with their trophy after defeating compatriots Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell in the men’s doubles final at the Australian Open tennis championships on Saturday, January 29, 2022, in Melbourne Australia. (Photo by Andy Brownbill, Stringer/AP)
Watch the Australian Open Men’s Doubles Awards Ceremony
