With family ties, Korda heads into 4th round
WIMBLEDON, ENGLAND >> When Sebastian Korda struck his last competitive shot as a 20-year-old — an overhead winner that closed out a third-round victory over Wimbledon’s No. 22 seed on Friday — the American raised both arms, then doubled over and rested his hands on his knees.
Up in a Centre Court guest box, the body language of his father, 1998 Australian Open champion Petr, was strikingly similar. Arms in the air, then leaning forward, reaching for the railing in front of his seat.
The younger Korda’s family bloodlines are serving him rather well at the moment. He is the son of two former professional tennis players — he credits his mother, Regina Rajchrtova, with teaching him to be calm on court — and the brother of two current stars in women’s golf — one of whom, Nelly, is ranked No. 1 and just won her first major — and is looking as if he very well could be the men’s tennis star his country has been awaiting for quite some time.
With an aggressive style that’s built for grass courts, Korda got past Britain’s Dan Evans 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to become the youngest U.S. man to reach the round of 16 at the All England Club since Andy
Sebastian Korda celebrates his third-round victory over Daniel Evans at Wimbledon.
Roddick got to the semifinals in 2003.
“Just felt incredibly comfortable,” Korda said. “And, yeah, it was perfect today.”
His father’s take? Essentially: Not so fast.
“It’s not over,” Dad said. “Let’s not celebrate until this is done.”
Wearing a black baseball hat and occasionally draping a white towel over his shoulders on the warmest day of the tournament so far, with the temperature rising toward the mid-70s Fahrenheit (20s Celsius), Petr was in a state of perpetual motion Friday. Any parent whose kids play sports at any level could relate, really, as he squirmed in his spot in the stands.
On Monday, Korda’s 21st birthday, he’ll face No. 25 seed Karen Khachanov.
Other men’s fourth-rounders: No. 1 Novak Djokovic against No. 17 Cristian Garin, No. 5 Andrey Rublev against Marton Fucsovics and No. 8 Roberto Bautista Agut against No. 10 Denis Shapovalov, who ended Andy Murray’s first Wimbledon singles appearance since 2017 by defeating the twotime champion 6-4, 6-2, 6-2.