How Aussie tennis star Thanasi Kokkinakis almost had a run-in with his VERY glamorous ex at the Melbourne Cup

Aussie tennis star Thanasi Kokkinakis risked bumping into his glamorous ex-girlfriend Hannah Dal Sasso at the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday just over a month after their breakup went public.

The pair were both pictured at Flemington for Australia’s big race alongside many other sports stars and celebrities.

Outsider Knight’s Choice pulled off a remarkable feat, upstaging favourites Buckaroo, Onesmoothoperator and the Willie Mullins-trained Vauban to win the showpiece event via a photo finish.

The horse, ridden by Irish-born jockey Robbie Dolan, was backed at 100/1 prior to the race.

Many sports stars, celebrities, and public figures lapped up the festivities in Melbourne on Tuesday, with Dal Sasso and Kokkinakis both in attendance.

Fresh from beating Rinky Hijikata at the New South Wales Open last month, Kokkinakis appears to be enjoying some time away from the court as the ATP Tour winds up ahead of the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin next week.

The 28-year-old also got his hands on the Melbourne Cup before it was handed over to Dolan after the race, posing with the coveted trophy backstage at Flemington.

Dal Sasso, meanwhile, was one of many racegoers wearing red for the event, with the entrepreneur arriving at the race course in a stunning custom-made dress designed by Melbourne designer Madoh. The dress featured a corset top and a plunging neckline.

Dal Sasso posted a picture and a video of herself wearing the silk gown on her Instagram story and was hailed by fans in the comments.

One wrote: ‘No words,’ while another added: ‘You never disappoint.’

His ex-girlfriend Hannah Dal Sasso was also seen at the event and dazzled in a stunning red dress

It comes just over a month after the Australia business entrepreneur and the tennis star’s split became public news

The tennis world was shocked in September after Kokkinakis and Dal Sasso had quietly split up, with fans online noticing that the Aussie couple had stopped following each other on Instagram.

It is understood that they had been together for around a year-and-a-half and had maintained a long-distance relationship as Kokkinakis travelled the world competing on the ATP Tour.

This season, Kokkinakis clinched his first clay-court title since 2021 at Sarasota on the Challenger Tour, before going on to reach the third round at the French Open, his highest finish in the men’s singles event of a Grand Slam.

Dal Sasso owns and operates her own online clothing-hire business, Styled By Mim, which rents out designer clothing to people all around Australia.

She is also a model and a marketer and has over 62,000 followers on Instagram.

The pair were pictured together earlier this year at Wimbledon before she travelled with him to the US for part of the American summer swing.

Their relationship first became public when the pair were pictured during Glamour on the Grid in Melbourne in March 2023.

She had previously spoken out on the difficulties of maintaining a long-term relationship, with Kokkinakis often away competing on the ATP Tour.

‘We just had a nice month together and I already miss him – long distance is really hard,’ Hannah told the Herald Sun.

‘Thanasi is really dedicated to his tennis and he’s putting everything into it and I’m so proud of him.’

Dal Sasso owns and operates her own online clothing-hire business, Styled By Mim and also works as a model and marketer

Kokkinakis recently claimed victory at the New South Wales Open and posted a picture of himself and a friend heading to the races on Tuesday

The tennis star had previously paid tribute to his former girlfriend in May after he advanced to the second round of the French Open with a win against Alexei Popyrin.

‘[I’m a] late bloomer, I guess you could say, so I’m trying that, but that brings its challenges as well. But she has been great,’ he said.