Sebastian Korda from the United States is set to take on the Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz Garfia in the third round of the ongoing French Open competition.
The World No. 30 Sebastian Korda won his first and second-round matches with relative ease. He defeated John Millman 6-1, 7-5, 7-6 (8-6) in the first round and ousted veteran Richard Gasquet 7-6 (7-5), 6-3, 6-3 in the second round to set up a clash with Alcaraz.
The 19-year-old eased past Juan Ignacio Londero from Argentina in the first round. Carlos Alcaraz won the match 6-4, 6-2, 6-0.
Alcaraz’s second-round match was not as straightforward. He had to fight hard to defeat fellow Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-1, 6-7 (7-9), 5-7, 7-6 (7-2), 6-4.
There is nothing much to choose between the two youngsters as far as head-to-head stats are concerned. Both have one win against each other. Alcaraz defeated Korda at the Next Gen Finals last fall while the latter got his revenge recently at the Masters in Monte Carlo a month and a half ago. So the head-to-head is tied at 1-1 and someone will break the deadlock come May 27.
Carlos Alcaraz has been in scintillating form this year. He has won the Madrid Open, the Barcelona Open, Miami Open, and the Rio Open this year. Korda’s best result this year came at the Estoril Open, where he reached the semifinal.
However, Korda will take confidence from his recent win against Alcaraz and his dominant performances in the French Open competition as of now. Also, Korda is the only player to defeat Alcaraz on clay this year.
This match will certainly be a closely-fought affair. Alcaraz might just edge out Korda but the teenager will need to cut down on the number of unforced errors which has been a concern for him during the 12-match winning streak that he is enjoying.
More tennis news:
Follow our dedicated tennis page for instant tennis news and update