ATP 250 Almaty R2: [7] Tsitsipas def. Kukushkin 6-1, 6-2, as Kukushkin retires from tennis after 20 years of his career
![ATP 250 Almaty R2: [7] Tsitsipas def. Kukushkin 6-1, 6-2, as Kukushkin retires from tennis after 20 years of his career](/media/site-3/218/001-8dcf76f3.webp)
posted by u/jovanmilic97 · 2026-10-21 15:40 UTC
(No body, title and link only)
## Top comments
1. u/Positive_Affect_6720 · 2026-10-21 15:42 UTC
heartless from stefanos
in front of his wife & kids inside 60 minutes in his farewell match
2. u/Ok-Artist-8050 · 2026-10-21 15:49 UTC
Stef asked him for an autographed shirt at the end!
3. u/Bullets_and_Tears · 2026-10-21 15:55 UTC
That was a nice touch from Stef.
4. u/juanbrga_ · 2026-10-21 15:41 UTC
Legendary two handed slice topspin backhand haha. Will never forget what a player he was!!!
5. u/jovanmilic97 · 2026-10-21 15:45 UTC
Had a solid career - top 100 year-end ten times, got few R4s in slams, a main tour title, reached top 40. Feels like a lot of players I've watched long ago are retiring this year 😭
6. u/Ecstatic-Emu-1757 · 2026-10-21 17:37 UTC
Well the disease is infecting everyone lately(Aging).
7. u/SquawkyMcGillicuddy · 2026-10-21 18:02 UTC
What is slice topspin? Those two words mean opposite things
8. u/Mister_Lizard · 2026-10-21 18:06 UTC
You can certainly impart topspin on a serve with a slice action. I have no idea how to do that with a two handed backhand though.
9. u/SquawkyMcGillicuddy · 2026-10-21 18:16 UTC
“Slice” means underspin, which is the opposite of topspin. You can put SIDEspin on either a slice or a topspin stroke, but you can’t underspin a topspin shot
10. u/Windforce · 2026-10-21 15:50 UTC
Despite what the score shows, Mikhail put up a real fight, with some brutal rallies.
Some nice moment there after the match when Stef requested an autographed shirt from Kukushkin.
11. u/GreekCavalier · 2026-10-21 15:51 UTC
Two Stefs was too much for Kukushkin.
12. u/pizzainmyshoe · 2026-10-21 15:53 UTC
It'll be interesting to see what Tsitsipas can do as the only seed in this half now. Some tricky players left though.
13. u/Bullets_and_Tears · 2026-10-21 15:48 UTC
Now for Duckworth. I'm scared.
14. u/maturedumbass · 2026-10-21 16:58 UTC
Thank you, Misha for everything you've done for Kazakhstan tennis, we are proud of you, happy retirement🇰🇿
15. u/Sweden13 · 2026-10-21 18:39 UTC
Farewell Kukushkin. Is he one of the all time greats? No, but for the better part of the past 15 years, he’s left a positive impact on the tour. One of the flattest hitters we’ve seen, and his tension was Mannarino tier. He was in the top 100 as late as 2024, and won his first and only title back in 2010. He’s one of the best players in recent years to never be seeded at a slam- scalped 10 seeds over his career, and made multiple runs to the third or fourth round.
The kind of fun game style that gives the tour more color. I’m happy he won a final match, and I liked all the support the crowd gave him there- worthy final outing.