World number six Stefanos Tsitsipas said he "fought like a warrior" Thursday after being pushed to a marathon five sets by wildcard Thanasi Kokkinakis at the Australian Open. The popular Greek star dropped only four games in his first-round match, but faced a far sterner challenge from the 267th-ranked Australian. He finally came through 6-7 (5/7), 6-1, 6-1, 6-7 (5/7), 6-4 but needed 4hr 32min to do it on a muggy day at Rod Laver Arena. 

"I fought like a lion, I fought like a real warrior out there," he said. "It was an amazing ending with lots of emotion and great spirits." It was Tsitsipas` first five-set win on hard courts and his reward is a third-round meeting with Swede Mikael Ymer, who beat promising Spanish teenager Carlos Alcaraz. "I`m happy that I got my first five-set win... more three-set wins in Slams would be nice," he added with a smile.