By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, January 20, 2023
Sebastian Korda upset 2022 finalist Daniil Medvedvev 7-6(7), 6-3, 7-6(4) in a superb Australian Open upset to set up a fourth-rounder vs. Hubert Hurkacz.
Photo credit: Daniel Pockett/Getty
Tennis is a numbers game where results equal respect.
Clearly, Sebastian Korda doesn’t give a damn about digits.
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In a bold all-court performance, Korda broke Daniil Medvedev in his opening service game of each set, sending the 2022 finalist packing in a superb 7-6(7), 6-3, 7-6(4) Australian Open triumph.
On his fourth match point, the 29th-seeded Korda cracked a diagonal forehand winner just inside the sideline then thrust his arms in the air to celebrate his first Top 10 win in a Grand Slam tournament.
"First of all, thank you guys for the atmosphere and support you guys were awesome," Korda said in his on-court interview afterward. "It was an unbelievable match.
"I kind of knew what I had to do. I stuck with it even when I was going up and down with emotions. I'm thrilled right now. It was an amazing match for me."
Twenty-five years after his father, Petr Korda, defeated Marcelo Rios to capture the Australian Open title, Sebastian Korda was flying high in the nation where his sisters, golfers Nelly Korda and Jessica Korda, have both won LPGA majors.
"I'm definitely the worst athlete in my family," Korda joked to John Fitzgerald afterward.
It's the biggest Grand Slam win of Korda's career and sends the 2018 Australian Open boys' champion into his first AO fourth round where he will face big-serving Hubert Hurkacz.
The 10th-seeded Hurkacz held off 20th-seeded Denis Shapovalov 7-6(3), 6-4, 1-6, 4-6, 6-3 to reach his first Melbourne round of 16 in his fifth appearance down under.
The seventh-seeded Medvedev spent much of tonight's three-hour match playing catch-up from the very start.
Credit Medvedev for battling from a break down to drag the third set into a tiebreaker, but Korda outclassed the former world No. 1 at critical stages. Medvedev said Korda was striking with more confidence.
"That's tough because probably that's something about confidence, like being in the zone, and I wasn't there tonight," Medvedev said. "Like all the close points, I didn't win that many with like those beautiful rallies. He was winning a little bit more of them, was touching the lines a little bit more.
"Yeah, in a way I think it was a top match where he was just better than me. I won many matches like this. Right now I'm a little bit struggling to win these kind of matches against opponents that can play good level. That's what I have to find back."
The defeat means both 2022 AO champion Rafael Nadal and finalist Medvedev failed to survive the third round in Melbourne.
Typecast as a tremendous talent who can have trouble closing against top players, Korda took the court winning just one of his last eight matches against Top 10 opponents. Earlier this month, Korda pushed Novak Djokovic to three sets in the Adelaide final before bowing 7-6(8), 6-7(3), 4-6.
Carrying the confidence from his Adelaide run, Korda came out with a clear and simple game plan: Rip his forehand with damaging intent, take the ball earlier than his opponent and force Medvedev to his own forehand on the run.
Playing assertive all-court tennis, Korda nearly doubled Medvedev's winner output—50 to 28—won 36 of 48 trips to net and converted five of 10 break points.
Clad in a match canary-colored Nike top, Radek Stepanek, Korda's coach, was jumping out of his seat after nearly every pivotal point urging his charge to keep applying pressure.
Four games into the third set, Korda gave the 2022 finalist a guided tour of the court send him careening into all areas before finishing with a forehand.
Patiently probing Medvedev's backhand, Korda pounced on a shorter ball and slammed a forehand into the corner holding for a 3-1 third-set lead.
Serving up a break at 4-3, 40-14, Korda extended a hand to Medvedev. Pushing a drop shot into the tape to face break point, Korda was driven onto defense by a Medvedev backhand down the line as the Russian broke back to even after eight games.
Medvedev slammed his sixth ace sealing a love hold for 5-4.
That reversal put pressure on Korda, who has had his share of near misses against Grand Slam champions in the past. Last March, Korda had a reeling Rafael Nadal right where he wanted him down a double break in the decisive set at Indian Wells. Then the 21-year-old Korda blinked and an adrenalized Nadal hijacked closing time roaring back for a rousing 6-2, 1-6, 7-6(3) triumph over Korda in an Indian Wells thriller.
Facing his moment of truth tonight, Korday took it on the rise.
The lean American deployed an elegant serve-and-volley knocking off a backhand volley to force a third-set tiebreaker.
Korda clubbed a return to open with the mini-break then dug out a challenging return for another mini break and 4-0 lead.
The depth of Korda's drives gave Medvedev little opportunity to step into the court. Korda cracked a forehand that dotted the baseline extending to 5-1.
Hammering a forehand down the line gave korda five match points as coach Stepanek stood on his feet screaming "Right now! Right now!"
But Medvedev wasn't done as he dug in to save three match points.
On his fourth match point, Korda went for it. Slashing an inside out forehand, Korda closed in style and thrust his arms in the air while his girlfriend wiped back tears and Stepanek wore a wide grin.