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Sebastian Korda staged a big upset at the 2023 Shanghai Masters on Sunday, ousting second seed Daniil Medvedev in a keenly contested second-round encounter.
The American, who was sidelined for over three months this season due to injury concerns, eked out a very tight opening set — taking it in a tiebreaker — before sailing through 7-6(8), 6-2.
Understandably esctatic after his win, Korda dubbed the result as one of the biggest wins of his career in his on-court interview. Notably, it marks the first occasion that the American has managed to post a win over a top-5 opponent.
Elaborating on his emotions, Korda said 2023 had been a difficult year for him as the injuries forced him to take a step back at a time when he was playing some of his best tennis.
“It’s been a very difficult year, for sure," Korda said during his on-court interview. "I had a long pause on my year for 3 or 4 months. Especially when I was playing some of the best tennis of my career so far."
Korda went on to address his "long journey", saying he felt good about his game on Sunday, reiterating that it was one of the best victories of his career.
"It was difficult, but it’s a long journey," he continued. "I’m happy with the way I played today. It’s definitely one of the biggest victories for me in my career.”
"One of the best points of the year for me" - Sebastian Korda on set point save against Daniil Medvedev
Sebastian Korda also made an incredible save on set point in the opening set of his upset over Daniil Medvedev, a point that in his eyes was "one of the best points of the year".
Elaborating, he said the point was extra special given the slower court conditions and his opponent's exceptional footspeed and defensive skills.
"I mean, he's so quick, it's really tough to get anything past him," Korda said. "Especially you know on a court his big and this fluffy out here, so it gets a bit slower, but definitely one of the best points of the year for me.
"I don't know about anyone else, but yeah," he continued. "I'm very happy with the way I played today."
Sebastian Korda will take on the winner of Marton Fucsovics and Francisco Cerundolo in the third round.
