Korda adds a chapter to American success story
He knocks out No. 7 Medvedev to reach round of 16 at the Australian Open.
MELBOURNE, Australia — Sebastian Korda beat two-time runner-up Daniil Medvedev 7-6 (7), 6-3, 7-6 (4) in the Australian Open’s third round late Friday night, the latest in a string of victories by young American men against top players at Melbourne Park.
Korda, a 22-year-old from Florida who is seeded 29th, is the son of 1998 Australian Open champion Petr Korda and counts eight-time major champion Andre Agassi as a mentor.
The No. 7-seeded Medvedev won the U.S. Open two years ago and made it to the final in Australia in 2021, when he lost to Novak Djokovic, and 2022, when he lost to Rafael Nadal after holding a two-set lead. The Russian also was brief ly ranked No. 1 last season.
“I kind of knew what I had to do. I stuck with it, even when I was going up and down with the emotions,” Korda said.
He compiled nearly twice as many winners as Medvedev, 50-28, and although he had plenty of unforced errors too, that did not hurt the American.
To get to his first major quarterfinal, Korda will need to get past No. 10 Hubert Hurkacz on Sunday.
In other men’s matches, Yoshihito Nishioka was a 7-6 (6), 6-3, 6-2 winner over Mackenzie McDonald, while another of the eight U.S. men to reach the third round was sent home when Karen Khachanov beat No. 16 Frances Tiafoe 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (9).
On Saturday, fifthseeded Andrey Rublev advanced to the fourth round for the third time in four years with a 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 win over Dan Evans.
Rublev hit 60 winners, including 10 aces.
“Every match I’m playing better and better,” Rublev said. “At the beginning of the year I lost a couple of close matches against really good players and lost a bit of confidence.”
On the women’s side, 12th-seeded Belinda Bencic reached the fourth round for the first time since 2016 when she beat Camila Giorgi 6-2, 7-5 on Rod Laver Arena. Bencic will next face fifthseeded Aryna Sabalenka, who cruised to a 6-2, 6-3 win over Elise Mertens.
Former top-ranked player Karolina Pliskova also reached the last 16 with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Varvara Gracheva. Pliskova next plays Zhang Shaui, who ended the run of American qualifier Katie Volynets 6-3, 6-2. Another American woman who lost was 10thseeded Madison Keys, who fell to Victoria Azarenka 1-6, 6-2, 6-1.
Donna Vekic advanced to the fourth round for the second time in three years with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Nuria Parrizas Diaz of Spain.