2026 Cincinnati Open

Nuno Borges vs Thanasi Kokkinakis ATP Cincinnati Tips, Prediction & Live Stream - Fitness remains a concern for Kokkinakis

Andrew Hendrie

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Last updated: Fri 14 Aug 2026 03:01

Andrew Hendrie 2 hours ago

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Nuno Borges vs Thanasi Kokkinakis predictions for Friday's ATP Cincinnati R1
Borges back to some good form, tipped to outlast injury-prone Kokkinakis
Over 22.5 games & at least one tiebreak tipped for this first round contest
The match is scheduled to start around 4.00am AEST on Saturday August 15

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Nuno Borges vs Thanasi Kokkinakis ATP Cincinnati Tips, Prediction & Live Stream

Kokkinakis continues to toil away on tour, despite his body repeatedly letting him down. I'm expecting the Aussie to put in another good fight here, but Nuno Borges is a tough competitor and tipped to come away with the win in a Cincinnati Masters first round match that features Over 22.5 games and at least one tiebreak.

Nuno Borges vs Thanasi Kokkinakis ATP Cincinnati Tips, Prediction & Live Stream
Borges vs Kokkinakis Stats & Trends
Borges vs Kokkinakis Head To Head
Nuno Borges Form Analysis
Thanasi Kokkinakis Form Analysis
Borges vs Kokkinakis Live Stream

Countless injuries and surgeries see Kokkinakis still languishing down the rankings at No. 434 ahead of Cincinnati, with the Aussie using a protected ranking to enter the main draw.

When fit, Kokkinakis is still more than capable of top 20-30 level tennis, but the problem is he just can't get his body right and I fear he might not have long left on tour unless something changes soon. This will be Kokkinakis' fourth tour-level main draw of the season, but he was last seen retiring in Canada Masters qualifying a couple of weeks ago.

Borges meanwhile is an even 22-22 for the season, but he's picked up some form lately and coming off a solid R16 finish in Montreal last week.

The Portuguese loves the grind and is always up for a scrap, which will make this very difficult for Kokkinakis, even if he is relatively fit. I do like the tiebreak trend Kokkinakis is currently riding (stats below), but Borges has a good recent record in opening rounds and he's simply the more reliable and match-proven player right now.

Borges vs Kokkinakis Stats & Trends

Kokkinakis has seen 1+ tiebreak in his last seven matches vs top 60 players
Kokkinakis has seen 1+ tiebreak in 12 of his last 15 tour-level matches
Kokkinakis has seen 1+ tiebreak in his last three Cincinnati matches
Borges has won seven of his last eight opening round matches
Borges has won his last five matches vs players outside the top 100
Borges has won 10 of his last 15 matches

Borges vs Kokkinakis Head To Head

Borges leads 1-0 at tour-level, winning their 2024 US Open clash in straights.

Year	Winner	Event	Round	Surface	Score
2024	Nuno Borges	US Open	Round of 64	Outdoor Hard	6–4, 7–5, 7–5

Nuno Borges Form Analysis

2026 ATP Record: 22-22
ATP Cincinnati Record: 1-2
Current Ranking: No. 55
Career-High Ranking: No. 30

Borges only managed back-to-back wins once since a third round Australian Open run and making the same stage of Roland Garros, but he's picked up his form over the last couple of months to salvage what was turning into a disappointing season.

The Portuguese went to make the semi-finals of Mallorca before playing eventual champion Jannik Sinner very close in the second round of Wimbledon, pushing him to two tiebreaks.

After making the quarter-finals of Bastad, Borges returned to hardcourts in Montreal last week, beating Aleksandar Kovacevic, Yannick Hanfmann and Tomas Martin Etcheverry before going down in the R16 to Luciano Darderi.

Borges is playing Cincinnati for only the third time, losing in the opening round last year to Arthur Rinderknech.

Thanasi Kokkinakis Form Analysis

2026 ATP Record: 2-2
ATP Cincinnati Record: 1-3
Current Ranking: No. 434
Career-High Ranking: No. 65 (2023)

It's been a rough last few years for Kokkinakis just as it looked he was about to go on an injury-free run after peaking at No. 65 in 2023.

It's pretty insane that Kokkinakis has never cracked the top 50 in his career and that's all due to the countless injuries and surgeries.

Kokkinakis has been attempting comebacks at various stages throughout 2026, but he just can't string back-to-back matches together. He beat Terence Atmane in the first round of Roland Garros, but was forced to retire in his second round, while he also pushed Alexander Bublik to five sets at Wimbledon.

The Aussie was forced to retire again in Canada Masters qualifying last week, but has entered Cincinnati with a protected ranking - just the third time he's played this tournament since 2015.