Big surprise in the third round of the Australian Open, with the elimination of the reigning double finalist, Daniil Medvedev, in three sets against the American Sebastian Korda!
Australian Open finalist in 2021 and 2022, Daniil Medvedev will not be entitled to his small round silver plate this year. And even less to the winner’s trophy! The Russian was indeed eliminated in the third round by Sebastian Korda, ranked 23 ranks behind him (31st against 8th). The American dreams of following in the footsteps of his father Petr, crowned in Melbourne in 1996, and he took a new step by joining the second week in Australia for the first time in his career. Facing a Medvedev who had not lost a set since the start of the tournament and who had beaten him in three sets during their only confrontation, at Bercy in 2021, Korda (22) delivered an almost perfect match for win 7-6, 6-3, 7-6 in 3 hours of play.
Korda shakes but doesn’t break
From the first game of the match, Korda set the tone by breaking his opponent after a long game. In the process, he broke again to lead 4-1, but then experienced a big black hole, conceding five games right now. However, Medvedev failed to finish at 5-4 on his serve, and Korda eventually won the set 9-7 on the tiebreak, on his third set point. The second was less rich in twists and turns. The American saved an entry break point, then took the opposing serve to lead 3-0. He then chained easy service games to pocket the set 6-3. In the third, Korda broke again from the start and led 4-3, 40-15. He was then very close to victory, but his arm began to shake, and he lost eight points in a row (4-5).
Medvedev will leave the Top 10
Fortunately, the Florida native recovered to go and play the tie-break. A decisive game that he largely dominated at the start, leading 6-1. But his arm shook a bit again and Medvedev came back at 6-4. The fourth match point, however, was good for Sebastian Korda, who offered one of the best victories of his career. He will be opposed for a place in the quarters to Hubert Hurkacz, who beat him in the final at Delray Beach in 2021. Daniil Medvedev, with his 1110 points lost, will leave the Top 10 in the next ranking. We should see him again in mid-February in Rotterdam. The upper part of the table looks more open than ever!