Seb Korda has followed in the footsteps of his father Petr by winning the Citi Open in Washington.
The American recovered from a set down to defeat Flavio Cobolli 4-6, 6-2, 6-0, to win his first ATP 500 title at the age of 24. Coming into this week, he has lost seven out of eight Tour-level finals contested with his sole triumph being on the clay at the 2021 Emilia-Romagna Open in Italy.
“He’s got a really tricky serve. He tosses it super far behind him. You don’t really know what he’s going to do with it,” Korda said of Cobolli. “He’s such an explosive player, incredibly fast. When he’s feeling fresh, he’s incredibly dangerous.”
“We played in Rome as well this year. A tough three-setter, and now again with a three-setter. Luckily for me, I guess he was feeling a little tired from all the hours that he spent on court here.”
The triumph is even sweeter for Korda who grew up at the tournament. He has previously been a ball boy at the event which his father won in 1992.
“Coming to these tournaments, being around the guys, having just a lot of fun around here, was the biggest key to my career, realizing how badly I wanted to be a professional tennis player,” he said.
“I mean, I cried a little bit. Yeah, it was pretty emotional. So many times I’ve practiced or played on center court here, and you see my dad in ’92 [on the stadium facade] always right across from where you sit down. It’s pretty cool to finally put my name up there, as well.”
Korda, who was seeded fourth in the draw, also defeated Frances Tiafoe and Jordan Thompson earlier in the tournament. As a result of his triumph, he will rise to 18th in the ATP standings.
