20-Year-Old Korda Continues Dream Run in Miami Debut
03.29.21
By Daniel Perissé
Young American Sebastian Korda carries on his dream run in his debut at the Miami Open presented by Itaú by reaching the Men’s Singles fourth round after a convincing 6-0, 6-3 win over Russian Aslan Karatsev this Monday, March 29th.
He had five service breaks during the 67-minute match against Karatsev, the No. 17 seed and winner in Dubai this year. Before today’s match, Korda defeated No. 10 seed Fabio Fognini in a three-setter, 1-6, 6-4, 6-2.
The 20-year-old from Bradenton now has a record of 7-1 in singles playing in his home state Florida this season: before playing at Hard Rock Stadium, he reached his first ATP-level tournament final at the Delray Beach Open, in early January.
“There is a lot of support here. A couple of my friends came out and both my parents are here. It’s been cool and it’s been super special, for sure. I think I’m just so used to the Florida heat and the humidity, and some guys aren’t used to it. I mean, it’s not easy, not something easy to get used to. I kind of adapt really well to it.”
Maybe that statement explains why Korda is also having a great performance in doubles. Partnering with American Michael Mmoh, he reached the quarterfinals after beating the German duo of Alexander Zverev and Tim Puetz.
The son of former World No. 2 Petr Korda will be back on court tomorrow, facing Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman for a spot in the Singles quarterfinals. The Argentinian defeated France’s Adrian Mannarino 6-1, 6-4.
“He’s an incredible player. He’s having a really good year so far. I think he won a title a couple of weeks ago, and he’s top 10 in the world. It’s going to be another cool and fun experience for me. Hopefully I can play some really good tennis and kind of just have fun out there”, said the 20-year-old with a smile.
