USA Today via Reuters
Mar 30, 2021; Miami, Florida, USA; Sebastian Korda of the United States celebrates after his match against Diego Schwartzman of Argentina (not pictured) in the fourth round in the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
USA Today via Reuters
Mar 30, 2021; Miami, Florida, USA; Sebastian Korda of the United States celebrates after his match against Diego Schwartzman of Argentina (not pictured) in the fourth round in the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Ranked 87th in the World, 20-year-old Sebastian Korda is the only surviving American at the Miami Open 2021. While Korda has successfully caused a stir at the tournament, he has now also earned the attention of retired American, Andy Roddick.
In a recent interview, the former World No. 1 and 2003 US Open champion picked his ideal choice for the ongoing Miami Masters, and Roddick named Sebastian Korda as the player he is keeping his eyes on.
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Andy Roddick on Sebastian Korda as the new American find
To build some context, the interview with Roddick happened after the 20-year-old Korda upset the 17th seed Aslan Karatsev in the third round in straight sets. The American dominated the Russian, crushing him 6-3, 6-0.
USA Today via Reuters
Mar 30, 2021; Miami, Florida, USA; Diego Schwartzman of Argentina hits a backhand against Sebastian Korda of the United States (not pictured) in the fourth round in the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Korda’s next opponent was the fifth seed and World No. 9 Diego Schwartzman from Argentina. For this reason, Roddick believed that the match would decide whether Korda would be the next big American star or not.
He said, “My eyes are on Seb Korda; I love this story. I want to see if we have the next guy. Schwartzman, a big test; he is not gonna give away any chance for Korda to put another Top 10 win.”
Furthermore, Roddick added that he wanted to witness how Korda would handle different matchups, different scenarios, and different physicalities. Also, he mentioned that the 28-year-old Argentine would put up a tough challenge for Korda.
“Obviously, Schwartzman is going to put him through the wringer; there will be no easy points. I want to see how he handles it tomorrow,” Roddick concluded.
"My eyes are on Seb Korda, I love this story."
–@AndyRoddickToday, @SebiKorda has a chance to get the biggest win of his young career. 🇺🇸#TCLive | #MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/6AazRdwoh1
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) March 30, 2021
The next day, the young American outclassed the Argentinian and booked a quarterfinals seat in Miami. Not to mention, the matchup was a total entertainer, and Korda defeated Schwartzman 6-3, 4-6, 7-5.
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Who will Korda play next at the Miami Open 2021?
Following Schwartzman, Korda will meet fourth seed and World No. 8 Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals. It will be interesting to see if he can float effortlessly against the in-form Russian.
USA Today via Reuters
Mar 30, 2021; Miami, Florida, USA; Andrey Rublev of Russia hits a backhand against Marin Cilic of Croatia (not pictured) in the fourth round in the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
However, Korda’s Miami story is a stepping stone for what is to come in the future. Apart from him, the Italian teenager Jannik Sinner is also in the last eight in Miami.
Do you think Sebastian Korda will create an upset for Rublev in Miami?
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