The legendary Novak Djokovic faces the talented Sebastian Korda in the finals of the Adelaide International 1 on Sunday.
Novak Djokovic
The 35-year-old played just 11 tournaments in 2022. He was barred from playing various tournaments due to his unvaccinated status. That did not stop his from adding five titles to his trophy room. He finished last season by winning his sixth WTA Finals title.
Djokovic has managed to continue his good run of form into the new season as well. So far in the Adelaide International 1, the Serbian maestro has not lost a set.
The 21-time Grand Slam champion began the new season with a vintage performance against Constant Lestienne of France. The match ended in quick time as Djokovic won 6-3, 6-2. In the round of 16, the former world No. 1 faced yet another Frenchman, Quentin Halys. The 26-year-old managed to put on a great show of resilience. However, the experience of Djokovic was too much for him as the veteran won 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-5). Djokovic faced 7th seed Denis Shapovalov in the round of 16. The Canadian star was blown away by Djokovic in straight sets, with the score of 6-3, 6-4. Djokovic went on to face 3rd seed Daniil Medvedev in the potential match of the tournament. However, it turned out to be anti-climatic as the experienced campaigner was too good for the Russian star. The match ended 6-3, 6-4 in favor of Djokovic. He is certainly the favorite going into the match against the young and exuberant Sebastian Korda.
Sebastian Korda
The 22-year-old has managed to reach his fifth ATP final. He is on the hunt of his second title on the ATP Tour after winning the 2021 Emilia-Romagna Open.
Korda had a decent season in 2022. He managed to break into the top 30 with some impressive performances. The American star had a great latter half of the season, as he reached the finals of the Gijon Open and the European Open.
Currently placed at No. 33 in the ATP rankings, Korda began the new season with a huge win against the legendary Andy Murray in the round of 32. Like Djokovic, Korda has also not dropped a set so far in the competition. He followed up the win against Murray with another memorable victory against Spanish veteran Roberto Bautista Agut. Korda had no trouble registering a thumping win against sixth seed Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinals. The semifinals saw Korda locking horns with Japanese No. 1 Yoshihito Nishioka. The first set was fiercely contested with Korda winning in the tiebreak. In the second set, the score was 1-0 in favor of Korda when Nishioka had to withdraw owing to injury. It goes without saying that Korda will have to play his A-game to be in with a shout against one of the all-time greats of the sport. He would also hope that his serves stay as good as it has throughout the tournament. Korda managed to fire in a whopping 38 aces en route to reaching the finals.
Head-to-Head and Prediction
Novak Djokovic and Sebastian Korda have never faced each other so far. Therefore, the head-to-head scoreline currently stands at 0-0.
Prediction: Novak Djokovic to win in straight sets.
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