Three months after undergoing right elbow surgery, world no. 22 Sebastian Korda is back in action! The young American entered the ATP 250 Adelaide event as the 2nd seed and kicked off the campaign in the second round.
Sebastian faced Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and scored a 6-3, 6-3 victory in an hour and 31 minutes. Thus, Korda delivered his first ATP win since last year’s US Open, overcoming a challenging period and hoping for a strong run in 2025.
The 2nd seed made the difference with his first serve, taking 37 of 43 points. However, he struggled on the second serve and faced five break points. Sebastian denied them and kept his serve intact, mounting the pressure on the other side.
Like he never left 🙌@SebiKorda triumphs over Davidovich Fokina 6-3 6-3 in his first match after undergoing elbow surgery last year! #AdelaideTennis pic.twitter.com/lT63Um6O8Z
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) January 8, 2025
Davidovich Fokina struggled to follow that pace after dropping 44% of the points in his games. The Spaniard played against seven break points and suffered three breaks, ending his campaign in the second round. Sebastian hit 20 service winners.
He landed 24 direct points and 26 unforced errors, attacking and outperforming his rival. Alejandro struggled in the opening game of the match. He faced four break points and hit a double fault on the last to drop serve and fall behind.
Sebastian Korda, Adelaide 2025© Stream screenshot
Korda denied a break point in the second game and settled into a fine rhythm. The American provided three comfortable holds and opened a 5-3 advantage with a volley winner in game eight. The Spaniard served to stay in the set in game nine and faced more problems.
Sebastian drew the rival’s mistake, earning his second break and wrapping up the opener 6-3 in 41 minutes. Carried by this boost, world no. 22 provided four comfortable holds in the second set. Davidovich Fokina could not follow that pace.
Korda secured a break at 15 in the fourth game, moving 3-1 in front and closer to the finish line. The American held in the next one for 4-1 and welcomed the rival’s mistake two games later to open a 5-2 gap. Sebastian served for the win at 5-3 and experienced a thriller!
Sebastian Korda, Adelaide 2025© Stream screenshot
The American missed a volley on a match point and faced two break points, saving them with powerful serves. Korda sprayed a forehand error on the second match point and saved a break point after Davidovich Fokina’s backhand error.
The 2nd seed squandered two more match points and offered his rival the fourth break chance. Sebastian cracked a forehand down the line winner to extend the game and generated the fifth match point. The American converted it with a forced error, making a winning start to the season.
Tennis World USA