By Richard Pagliaro | Wednesday, April 13, 2022
Sebastian Korda cracked 43 winners edging Miami champion Carlos Alcaraz 7-6(2), 6-7(5), 6-3 in a gripping three-hour Monte-Carlo victory.
Photo credit: Getty
In their first clay-court clash, Sebastian Korda and Carlos Alcaraz gave us viral tennis.
Rising young stars infused fans with rivalry revelry.
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Striking backhand bolts down the line, Korda cracked 43 winners taming Miami Open champion Alcaraz and unruly conditions 7-6(2), 6-7(5), 6-3 in a gripping three-hour Monte-Carlo victory.
On his second match point, Korda thumped a stinging serve down the T to close a physical three hour, two-minute battle.
This match was a rematch of the Next Gen ATP Finals, which Alcaraz won last fall, and the maiden Masters meeting in what could be a riveting rivalry between the 21-year-old Korda and 18-year-old Alcaraz.
Afterward, Korda shared hopes of many tennis fans: that we see this clash continue into a compelling rivalry as both rising young stars grow.
"I played him in Milan last year; he's probbaly a completely different player," Korda told Tennis Channel's Prakash Amritraj afterward. "He's improved so much. He's been playing unbelievable tennis."
On a windy day that saw the pair combine for 13 breaks of serve, Korda's willingness to change direction and drive the ball down the line proved pivotal. Korda hit 19 more winners and converted seven of 10 break points.
"I kind of took it to him," Korda said. "I'm super happy with how it went. I hope [it becomes a rivalry]. I love playing Carlos. He's an unbelievable player, an even better person. I hope we play tennis for a lot of years with a lot of matches coming up."
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Former junior world No. 1 Korda will play either his buddy and doubles partner Taylor Fritz or 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic for a spot in the Monte-Carlo quarterfinals.
Maturity and applying precise footwork amid blustery conditions created entertaining exchanges between Alcaraz and Korda, who jumped out to a 4-2 lead. Alcaraz answered with a three-game run, but the Spanish teenager failed to serve out the set at 5-4 and 6-5 as Korda broke twice in a row then took the tiebreaker for a one-set lead.
Though Korda's flat strikes play well on faster surfaces, he says growing up on Florida's Har-Tru green clay courts gives him a comfort level on dirt.
"I'm very comfortable on the clay," Korda told the media in Monte-Carlo. "I kind of grew up on the clay, the green clay in Florida, a little bit of red clay when we would travel to Prague, Czech Republic.
"I know how to play on clay. I move pretty well on clay. I'm very comfortable on it. I'd like to think I can play on all surfaces. Definitely my game is more of a faster surface, but I do enjoy playing on clay. I think I can have some good results on clay."
Carrying an 18-2 record onto court, the Rio champion showed his confidence and class bursting out to a 3-0 second-set lead he later extended to 4-2. Korda scored his second love break of the match then grinded through a deuce hold to level after eight games.
Turning his shoulders into his shots, Alcaraz was blasting the ball in the latter stages of the second-set tiebreaker. The Spaniard scalded a clean forehand winner down the line to snatch the set and force a decider.
Alcaraz said adjusting to the clay of Monte Carlo after his inspired hard-court run in Miami as well as Korda's drives and the unpredictable wind all made for a challenging day.
"I mean, is totally different to play on clay than on hard court," Alcaraz said. "I mean, points are longer, the slice much than on hard court. But yeah, you have to, how to say, you have to adapt your game to clay court.
"As I said, it's totally different. More topspin, points longer. I mean, I don't know. You have to try and allow, you have to get, play matches, play sets, to get used to play on clay court. Well, it's tough, the transition, no, to hard court to clay court."
Credit Korda for elevating his play and playing with poise in the final set. When challenged with the Alcaraz devious drop shot, Korda did not panic and did not overplay. He often played a deep slice reply down the line then held his ground at net.
Though you might expect Alcaraz to have the edge in running rallies, Korda cranked his share of strikes on the run as well.
Two hours, 50 minutes into this sweaty battle, Korda slid a low backhand pass Alcaraz could not handle for break point. When Alcaraz shanked a forehand off the frame of his Babolat, Korda had the crucial break and a 5-3 lead.
Sailing a forehand sitter on his first match point, Korda reset and drew a backhand error. One final stinging serve sealed it as Korda thrust his arms in the air and erupted in a euphoric scream.