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An early-season equation has become clear: Thanasi Kokkinakis and Adelaide equals magic.

One year after lifting his first ATP Tour trophy in Adelaide, the Australian made more memories on his home court Monday evening when he battled past countryman Alexei Popyrin 6-0, 6-7(5), 7-5 after two hours and 45 minutes in the first round of the Adelaide International 2.

“It’s what you play for to be honest. I’ve had many great memories last year as well. Having that home energy and home crowd was crazy. I’m happy I gave them something to cheer about there,” Kokkinakis said. “It was almost going too smoothly, but then when I got the crowd into it and got them fired up, I know that’s what they came to see. It’s why you do all the work in all those tough moments. You remember those feelings and that’s something you can’t replicate other than [in] tennis.”

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After falling behind by a break in the third set, it seemed Kokkinakis was on the brink of defeat. But the 26-year-old rallied for an emotional victory to the delight of the fans.

Matteo Arnaldi enjoyed a breakthrough 2022, capped by his appearance at the Next Gen ATP Finals. The 21-year-old Italian looks set to pick up where he left off last year.

Arnaldi eliminated Swiss United Cup team member Alexander Ritschard 6-3, 7-5 in the first round of Australian Open qualifying on Monday. He will next play Australian Alex Bolt, who ousted Argentine Renzo Olivo 6-1, 6-2.

#NextGenATP Dalibor Svrcina also moved into the second round. The Czech ousted Briton Paul Jubb 6-3, 1-6, 6-4 and will next take on Argentine Nicolas Kicker.

There were a slew of final-set tie-breaks contested at Melbourne Park. Nicolas Jarry outlasted Otto Virtanen 5-7, 7-4, 7-6 (10-6), Gianluca Mager battled past Filip Misolic 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(10-6), Adrian Andreev clawed past Francesco Maestrelli 7-6(5), 4-6, 7-6(10-5) and Frenchman Enzo Couacaud found a way past countryman Hugo Grenier 5-7, 7-5, 7-6(10-3).

Brandon Holt, who made a splash by reaching the second round of the US Open main draw as a qualifier, rallied past third seed Radu Albot 5-7, 6-3, 6-4. The American will face Portugal’s Gastao Elias in the next round.

An entertaining opening week of the 2023 ATP Tour season saw the United States lift the inaugural United Cup, while Novak Djokovic and Tallon Griekspoor won titles in Adelaide and Pune, respectively.

ATPTour.com looks at the movers of the week in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

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No. 19, Lorenzo Musetti, +4 (Career High)
The #NextGenATP Italian has cracked the Top 20 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings for the first time after earning four victories to help Team Italy reach the United Cup final. The 20-year-old is the third Italian inside the Top 20, joining World No. 14 Matteo Berrettini and World No. 16 Jannik Sinner. Read United Cup Final Report & Watch Highlights.

No. 12, Cameron Norrie +2
The 27-year-old has jumped two spots after he went 3-0 at the United Cup. The Briton defeated Australian Alex de Minaur, Spaniard Rafael Nadal and American Taylor Fritz to help his nation win Group D.

David Goffin earned his first win of the season Monday when he overcame fifth seed Alexander Bublik 6-3, 6-4 to reach the second round at the ASB Classic in Auckland.

The 32-year-old went 0-2 at the inaugural United Cup last week in Perth but responded with a confidence-boosting performance against Bublik, returning with great depth to break the 25-year-old six times en route to his 74-minute win.

"I returned really well," Goffin said. "We all know how he can serve, it is not easy to return. The key was the return for sure. I tried to stay calm because on my service games, I know how hard he can hit the ball and be aggressive. I stayed calm and that was the key.

"I love the atmosphere on this court, with people having fun. They are having dinner, it is a nice arena and it is fun to play in front of them."

Goffin, who is making his first appearance at the ATP 250 event since 2013, now leads the Kazakhstani 2-0 in their ATP Head2Head series. He will next face 2020 champion Ugo Humbert or American qualifier Christopher Eubanks.

“I feel like I'm at home with my eight kids. This is like the Brady Bunch,” said Team USA captain David Witt as he sat alongside his triumphant players in their United Cup post-final media conference.

“I had a blast these two weeks. It was a lot of fun. A lot of tennis watching, but I had a blast. You guys are so immature, and I love you for it.”

Underpinned by a sense of camaraderie, a commitment to having fun and its overall team depth, the United States found the winning formula at the inaugural 18-country mixed teams’ event, showcasing a blueprint that others may look to emulate in future years.

The team’s Top 10 No. 1 players Taylor Fritz and Jessica Pegula dropped just one singles match each during the tournament. No. 2 players Frances Tiafoe and Madison Keys didn’t drop a set in eight matches combined.

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It is one thing to challenge Novak Djokovic, which Sebastian Korda did to a great extent Sunday evening in the Adelaide International 1 final. It is another thing to finish the job against the former World No. 1.

Djokovic proved that when he saved championship point in the second set before rallying for a three-set victory to secure his 92nd tour-level title.

“No one is invincible. We've seen the biggest tennis players in the history of the game lose some big matches. I've lost many matches where I was up actually in a match or close matches,” Djokovic said. “Sometimes they go your way, sometimes they don't. Statistically I've won more of those, which I'm obviously very happy about.”

Djokovic added that it is difficult to explain the “formula of success” for dealing with such situations. So often the 35-year-old goes into “lockdown mode” and forces his opponents to do something special to win, but he does not believe there are any rules to triumphing from the brink of defeat.

“I feel like each one of us is so different and we are all unique in our own way in terms of the character, in terms of the body, in terms of how we play tennis,” Djokovic said. “Someone feels more comfortable serving and volleying when you're match point down, some feel [better] playing conservatively from the back of the court. It's really a matter of and a question of the moment, who you play against, what do you feel?

Novak Djokovic was down on Sunday evening in Adelaide and nearly out when he faced championship point against Sebastian Korda. But in trademark fashion the Serbian found a way to win his 92nd tour-level title.

Djokovic saved championship point at 5-6 in the second set before rallying past the American 6-7(8), 7-6(3), 6-4 after a gruelling three hours and nine minutes. After Korda missed a final forehand long, Djokovic tapped his right index finger to his head as a nod to his resilience.

"It's been an amazing week and you guys made it even more special. For me to be standing here is a gift, definitely," Djokovic told the crowd during the trophy ceremony. "I gave it all today and throughout the week in order to be able to get my hands on the trophy.

"The support that I've been getting in the past 10 days is something that I don't think I've experienced too many times in my life, so thank you so much [to] everyone for coming out every single match."

The 35-year-old is now tied with Rafael Nadal for the fourth-most men’s singles titles in the Open Era, trailing only Jimmy Connors (109), Roger Federer (103) and Ivan Lendl (94). He has won 34 consecutive matches in Australia since the start of 2019 and 23 of his past 24 matches overall.

The inaugural United Cup trophy belongs to the United States.

Taylor Fritz clinched the title for his country on Sunday evening when he defeated Matteo Berrettini 7-6(4), 7-6 (6) in a nail-biting duel between two of the biggest hitters on the ATP Tour. Jessica Pegula and Frances Tiafoe each earned a point for the Americans earlier in the day, giving their country an insurmountable 3-0 lead over Italy.

“It’s great. It’s amazing for the team to win this event. We came in with really high hopes, or at least I did, for the event,” Fritz said. “I was really happy to be in that position to clinch the match.”

The United States produced a dominant performance throughout the United Cup, dropping just two individual matches. None of their ties were closer than 4-1.

Fritz capped the team’s run with a poised performance against Berrettini, who had earned Top 10 victories against Casper Ruud and Hubert Hurkacz earlier in the event. The American let slip all nine break points he earned, but did not let that hurt his play in the critical tie-breaks.

"Ready, play."

For two years, the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted New Zealand. With international borders closed, the opportunity for the country to host major sporting events, including the ASB Classic, was taken away.

However, good news arrived in July last year when the borders reopened to all visitors, sparking ‘go time’ for ASB Classic Tournament Director Nicolas Lamperin. Having seen most of the tournament staff depart in the previous two years, Lamperin knew that getting the ATP Tour back to Auckland by the second week of January would be no small feat.

“As soon as we got the green light that the borders would reopen in the middle of last year, we then put a plan together to restart the tournament,” Lamperin told ATPTour.com.

“A lot of work had to be done because most of the people who were working at the tournament back in 2020 have left. It was all about building a new team, reconnecting with the sponsors, all of our stakeholders, and putting a plan together. Also speaking to the players and making sure they knew that the tournament was back and that we will be up to the standards that they were used to."

Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara capped an impressive first week to their 2023 season on Sunday at the Adelaide International 1, where the British-Finnish duo downed Jamie Murray and Michael Venus 6-3, 7-6(3) to claim its third ATP Tour title together.

The third-seeded team had dropped just one set en route to the final at the ATP 250 event and took control of the championship match by reeling off four games in a row from 2-3 in the opening set.

A tighter second set featured no break points, but Glasspool and Heliovaara again found a hot streak to claim four points in a row from 3/3 in the tie-break. Strong serving was key to the third seeds’ 79-minute victory — they won 83 per cent (30/36) of points behind their first delivery, compared to 68 per cent (34/50) for the fourth-seeded Murray and Venus.

”It was a very solid week from us,” said Heliovaara after the match. “Even that set that we lost [in the semi-finals], we had three set points. We were a little bit disappointed that we didn’t actually cross the whole week [without losing a set], but it was just so enjoyable playing… I think we had a good feeling after every match that we did what we are supposed to do, nothing special.

”If this is our level going forward, I’m really looking forward to the rest of the year.”

The United Cup trophy will be lifted on Sunday in Sydney’s Ken Rosewall Arena. The stadium’s namesake, Australian legend Ken Rosewall, has enjoyed the inaugural mixed-teams event.

“It’s a new event. The players like the team effect,” Rosewall said. “They seem to have nice camaraderie with everybody. Having the captains and the coaches on the side of the court is something fairly new. “

The United Cup brings together men and women on the same team. The last match of each tie is mixed doubles. Who would Rosewall select as his teammates from his playing days, from both the men’s and women’s sides?

“Rod Laver has the best record of any of the other Australians with his Grand Slam wins, so you’d always think of picking Laver first place there,” Rosewall said. “Hard to go [wrong] with him I suppose.”

The International Tennis Hall of Famer mentioned two women he would select to his team.

When John Isner walks onto court at the ASB Classic in Auckland Monday he will kick start his 17th season on the ATP Tour.

The 6’ 10” American has enjoyed a storied career, reaching a career-high No. 8 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings and lifting 16 tour-level titles. Last season, the World No. 41 also wrote himself into the history books when he broke the world record for aces on the ATP Tour, striking his 13,729th ace against Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon.

However, at 37, he is not ready to stop yet.

“I am still feeling pretty good,” Isner told ATPTour.com. “I know I am in the twilight of my career and a lot of players my age aren't playing anymore, so I think I'm very fortunate to still be playing. I think I'm the oldest player in the Top 100, which is actually something I'm very proud of.

“I still like to compete, it keeps me going. I'd be lying to you if I told you I love all the work that goes in. Sometimes practice can get pretty monotonous, but I do love the training and off court I am just trying to get myself in a good spot to compete with players much younger than I am. You can't play tennis forever, so I want to try to make this last as long as possible. I am ready to achieve some really cool things this year.”

Jessica Pegula kicked off the United Cup final by giving the United States a 1-0 lead over Italy with a 6-4, 6-2 defeat of Martina Trevisan.

Despite the straight-sets scoreline, the contest was far from straightforward for the WTA World No. 3. Trevisan came out firing with an ultra-aggressive strategy, and remained committed to front-foot tennis throughout.

Pegula, normally an excellent proponent of these tactics herself, was forced onto the back foot more than usual. Though the American led 3-0 and then 4-2 in the first set, Trevisan managed to level at 4-4 after coming up with a series of fizzing forehands.

Ironically after this pattern, the set turned on a rare shot that Trevisan backed off. Serving at 4-5, 30/30, a tentative drive volley allowed Pegula to crunch a forehand of her own to reach set point. The American promptly converted it with a superb backhand winner down the line.

Pegula settled in the second set, reducing her unforced error tally from 17 to seven while eliciting mistakes from Trevisan with canny court craft. Trevisan's do-or-die approach ultimately didn't pay off as the WTA World No. 27 racked up 31 unforced errors against 14 winners.

Tallon Griekspoor started the new year in the best way possible. The 26-year-old dropped just one set all week en route to claiming his maiden Tour-level title at the Tata Open Maharashtra in Pune, India. In the championship match, the Dutchman rallied from a set down to defeat Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi 4-6, 7-5, 6-3.

ATPTour.com caught up with the World No. 61 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings to discuss his family's sports background, his standout finals record on the Challenger Tour, and how he will celebrate his big breakthrough.

What does it mean to you to win your first ATP Tour title?
It means everything to me. It’s something you dream of and work for. There’s so many people involved, my family, my brothers, that mean the world to me. To do this also for them, means the world to me, I couldn’t be more happy.

Entering this event after the offseason, your first event of 2023, how did you feel about your chances of finishing as the champion and lifting the trophy?
You never know after the offseason how you will play. I worked my ass off at home during the offseason. I was playing well in practices but you never know how you’re going to be in the matches. I came to Pune early, had five or six good practice days and I think that helped me a lot.

This was your first ATP final, but you were 8-0 in finals at the ATP Challenger Tour level last year. Did this feel much different to those previous title matches?
I had a good record on the Challenger Tour in finals, so I would say I know I how to play to finals. It’s tough, it’s a fight for every point, there’s more pressure than normal, especially my first ATP Tour final. It wasn’t easy but I think I handled it pretty well. Maybe those Challenger finals helped me as well to stay calm and know what to do in the final.

Despite enduring a fourth consecutive defeat to Novak Djokovic in the Adelaide International 1 semi-finals, Daniil Medvedev remains confident that he can turn the tables on the Serbian if he gets a shot at revenge at this month’s Australian Open. And that’s despite Saturday’s 6-3, 6-4 loss being the most lopsided of their four most recent battles.

The 26-year-old admitted that the match was “completely on Novak’s side,” but said that his confidence would not be shaken the next time he meets Djokovic or, for that matter, Rafael Nadal, against whom he has just a modest 1-5 ATP Head2Head record. Medvedev led the Spaniard two sets to love in last year’s Australian Open final before the lefty rallied to take the title in five sets.

As he leaves Adelaide, Medvedev now sets his sights on a strong run at the season’s first Slam and perhaps another crack at Djokovic or Nadal, the only two men to beat him at the Australian Open the past two years.

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“I think with the feeling I had this week, I could be back at winning [against] these guys, winning tournaments,” Medvedev said. “Again, Novak is in a different league, 21 slams. But generally [I’m] positive. Need to stay positive because the first Slam is coming. Want to show my best. Want to feel a great atmosphere like it was here in Adelaide. Looking forward.”

As the ATP Tour season builds toward the Australian Open, two events Down Under provide players their last chance to compete ahead of the year's first Grand Slam.

A pair of ATP 250s — the ASB Classic in Auckland and the Adelaide International 2 — are next on the schedule, with World No. 3 Casper Ruud leading the field as the ATP Tour returns to Auckland for the first time since 2020. Former champion Andrey Rublev is the top seed in Adelaide, where hometown hero Thanasi Kokkinakis is back to defend his title.

ATPTour.com looks at 10 things to watch this week.

View Draws: Auckland | Adelaide

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In the course of 11 drama-filled days at the United Cup, across three Australian cities, 18 teams have been reduced to just two: the third-seeded United States and fifth seeds Italy.

Sunday’s final takes place at 1 p.m. local time (9 p.m. ET) in Sydney’s Ken Rosewall Arena.

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The U.S. clinched its spot in the title round first, uncertain if it would be facing Italy or Greece.

“I don’t really think it matters,” captain David Witt said. “I think our players are pretty confident and excited to be in the final. We will just have to wait to see who we play, and then go out there and do it up.”

Tallon Griekspoor overcame his first lost set of the week at the Tata Open Maharashtra to claim his first ATP Tour title Saturday in an entertaining and high-quality final against Benjamin Bonzi. The Dutchman served to stay in the match in the second set but ultimately outlasted his French opponent 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 before collapsing to the court in celebration of his milestone moment.

"[It was the] first final for both, some pressure," Griekspoor said after clinching the trophy with a dominant serving display that included 17 aces. "All I did was keep fighting every point, trying to get my best tennis, and in the end it came, so I'm really happy with that.

"I think even in the first set I played well. I just played one really bad game at 4-5 which made it tough for myself. Bonzi was playing really well."

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After getting broken to surrender the first set, the 26-year-old showed great resilience in the same situation in set two. From 4-5 in the second, he won three straight games to force a decider, then continued his momentum by building a 3-1 lead in the final set.