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26th seed Sebastian Korda beat second seed Daniil Medvedev of Russia, 7-6(8), 6-2, in the third round of Shanghai Masters on Sunday (October 8). The match lasted for less than two hours, as Korda accomplished the arduous task of beating Medvedev on a hard court.
Korda will play his fourth-round match on Tuesday (October 10) against either Marton Fucsovics or Francisco Cerundolo. He is looking good at the moment and will fancy his chances of reaching the last four at least. His upset win over the big Russian should give him enough confidence ahead of his next match.
On that note, let us take a look at two things that stood out in the match:
#1. Sebastian Korda took the pace off the ball to disrupt Medvedev's rhythm
Medvedev tried to engage Korda in cross-court backhand exchanges to dictate terms with his superior backhand. However, Korda used his cross-court backhand slice extensively to take the pace off the ball and thus forced Medvedev to use extra power.
However, both players were cautious in their approach and did not take too many risks in the first set. Both tried to play the angles instead of using raw power amid slow conditions. Still, Korda's elegant forehands remained a treat to watch.
The first set went into a tie-break and the neck-to-neck fight continued in it, too. However, the American finally won 10-8 to draw the first blood. Given the stiff fight in the set, it was very crucial for either player to win it and it was Korda who did it, eventually.
#2. Sebastian Korda rushed the net frequently
While Daniil Medvedev preferred to stay on the baseline and played occasional drop shots, Sebastian Korda often approached the net and won a good number of points through volleys and overhead smashes. The American also opted for serve-&-volley frequently to take the Russian by surprise.
Korda also moved Medvedev from side to side with his forehand at times. Medvedev, meanwhile, went for high-risk shots more often in the second set and ended up committing errors.
The American raced to a 3-0 lead in the second set by breaking Medvedev and did not let his advantage slip thereafter. Medvedev's first serve was powerful enough, but he could win only 60% of the points on his second delivery, while Korda managed 71%, which made a significant difference, especially in the second set.
