Twitter expresses joy and excitement as Nick Kyrgios & Thanasi Kokkinakis reach men's doubles final at Australian Open

Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis continued their dream run at the 2022 Australian Open by reaching the men's doubles final on Thursday.

The unseeded Australian pair defeated third seeds Horacio Zeballos and Marcel Granollers 7-6(4), 6-4 in the semifinals, posting their fourth straight victory over seeded opponents at the tournament.

Both Kyrgios and Kokkinakis suffered premature exits in the singles event, with Kyrgios losing to World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev in the second round and Kokkinakis falling to Yannik Hanfmann in the first round.

But they have been the talk of the town in doubles, defeating higher-ranked opponents while entertaining the crowd with their antics.

Users on Twitter were equally entertained by the show put on by Kyrgios and Kokkinakis, who have earned the nickname Special Ks. Many praised the Australians for rekindling their interest in doubles.

"Nick Kyrgios has done a lot of crazy shit, but making people care about doubles tennis might just be the craziest," one user tweeted.

Others referenced the crowd's booming reception for the Australian pair during their matches, and hoped that their opponents could handle the pressure.

"I’ve never witnessed anything like that in sport, never mind tennis. And that’s at only 65% noise," one fan tweeted.

"Crowd activity is awesome in the doubles. Never watched doubles like this before. Surely players can handle a bit of noise during the point," another user wrote.

The New York Times' tennis correspondent Christopher Clarey jokingly remarked that the only thing Kokkinakis and Kyrgios could improve was their victory celebration, since their level of play was top-notch.

"What is clear is that Kokkinakis & Kyrgios need to work on their chest bump. Their doubles play, however, looks shipshape," Clarey tweeted. "Afternoon special at the Australian Open: Kokkinakis and Kyrgios in a rocking Laver Arena for their men's doubles semifinal. That roar you may have just heard should tell you who won."

Kyrgios, being a polarizing figure because of his on-court antics, also invited a fair bit of criticism. Twitter users lauded Kokkinakis for being the better player and carrying Kyrgios into the Grand Slam final.

"I feel like Kokkinakis is the mate that always makes sure his rowdy mate gets home safely, no matter what the rowdy mate got up to that night or how late the night goes," one user tweeted. "Everyone needs a mate like Thanasi."

Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis face Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell in the final of the 2022 Australian Open

Nick Kyrgios and Kokkinakis's victory has set-up the first all-Australian men's doubles affair since 1980

Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis will lock horns with another all-Australian pair, Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell, in the final. This will be the first all-Australian men's doubles final at the Melbourne Slam since 1980.

Unlike Kyrgios and Kokkinakis, Ebden and Purcell have flown under the radar all tournament. They have also beaten four seeded opponents en route to the final, including an upset 6-3, 7-6(9) win over second seeds Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury in the last four.