38-year-old Wildcard, who is ranked 389th, extended his bye on Monday with a 7-6 (4), 7-6 (3) win over qualifier Stefanos Sakellaridis.. He had little left against Tsitsipas. The Greek was extremely powerful, fast and accurate and won the fifth match out of five. In the second set, however, Kukushkin saved three match points at 5-1 before going out.
“It was really hard for me to play,” Kukushkin said. “I knew Stefanos was such a great player. For me he is top five, such a great champion. Sharing the court with Stefanos in my last match is a great honor for me. I was really exhausted after the first game. It certainly wasn’t my best game, but I still think it was a great tournament.”
Kukushkin. “Super Special”
He said finishing his career in Kazakhstan was what he wanted.
“It’s super special. It’s like a dream come true to finish at home with the home crowd,” he said. “For me, it’s always been about a week like this, so special with this atmosphere, this kind of support, this emotion. The last time to step on the court is at home. It just feels incredible.”
Kukushkin turned pro in 2006. He won his only ATP Tour title in St. Petersburg in 2010, reached a career-high No. 39 in 2019 and played a record sixth Almaty Open this week.
After the meeting, Tsitsipas paid tribute. “I sincerely want to congratulate Misha on the incredible career he has had,” he said. “I don’t think Misha made too many mistakes today because my level was really high.”
Tsitsipas will meet Australian James Duckworth in the quarterfinals.