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Third seed Sebastian Korda of the United States beat 12th seed Richard Gasquet of France 4-6 6-1 7-6(7) in the quarterfinals of the Winston-Salem Open on Thursday, August 24. The Thrilling match lasted a little over two-and-a-half hours.
However, Korda's joy was short-lived, as he had to withdraw from his semifinal clash with Jiri Lehecka of the Czech Republic because of an ankle injury. Gasquet, meanwhile, should be proud of his effort against a much younger opponent.
On that note, here's a look at two things that stood out in the match:
#1 Korda dominated with his first serve and forehand
Korda’s superior first serve gave him a distinct advantage over the 37-year-old Frenchman. He fired 16 aces in the match and won 86% of the points on his first serve against Gasquet’s 73%. However, the American fared poorly on his second serve and was able to win only 46% of the points on it. In comparison, Gasquet won 58% of the points on his second delivery.
Korda also tried to assert his supremacy by hitting powerful forehand approaches from the mid-court and then advancing to the net to finish points with volleys. His powerful first serve helped him get over the line in the third-set tie-break.
#2 Gasquet showed vintage form in the first set, but age gradually caught up with him
Gasquet rolled back the years to get the decisive break of serve and win the first set. He hit stupendous down-the-line backhand winners, volley winners, and an ace on set point to mark a near-perfect performance.
However, his movement became comparatively sluggish as the match progressed. Korda took full advantage and raced through the second set to draw level.
The American once again got an early break at the beginning of the third set, but Gasquet then broke back to level the score. The set eventually went into a tie-break, which saw Korda take a 6-5 lead. The Frenchman, however, was able to save the match point. It was then Korda’s turn to save a match point with his powerful serve before winning the tie-break to complete the victory.
Korda will hope to be fully fit for the US Open commencing next week.
