Antwerp 2022 final: Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Sebastian Korda preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick | European Open
Match Details
Fixture: (2) Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Sebastian Korda.
Date: October 23, 2022.
Tournament: European Open 2022.
Round: Final.
Venue: Antwerp, Belgium.
Category: ATP 250.
Surface: Hard.
Prize money: €648,130.
Match timing: Not before 4 pm local time, 2 pm GMT, 10 am ET and 7:30 pm IST.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video.
Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Sebastian Korda preview
Second seed Felix Auger-Aliassime will take on World No. 36 Sebastian Korda in the final of the 2022 European Open on Sunday.
After a first-round bye, Auger-Aliassime defeated Manuel Guinard and Dan Evans to reach the semifinals here. He was up against veteran Richard Gasquet for a spot in the title round.
Both players defended their serves supremely in the opening set, leading to a tie-break. Auger-Aliassime raced to a 5-0 lead and walked away with the set. The second set played out in a similar manner, though the Canadian did have a break point this time around, but failed to convert.
Auger-Aliassime was once again too good in the ensuing tie-break and won the match 7-6(2), 7-6(3). He has now reached his 12th career final and fourth of the season.
Sebastian Korda scored wins over Marcos Giron, Karen Khachanov and Yoshihito Nishioka to reach the last four in Antwerp. His semifinal opponent was 2020 US Open champion Dominic Thiem.
Neither player got close to a break point in the first set, which went into a tie-break. Thiem was the more solid player in the tie-break and went on to win it. The second set started with three breaks of serve, with Korda gaining the upper hand to lead 2-1.
The American held onto the lead and broke his opponent's serve towards the end of the set to clinch it. Thiem was the first to go up a break in the third set, but Korda broke right back to tie the score.
The match was then decided by a tie-break, with Korda edging out Thiem to win the contest 6-7(4), 6-3, 7-6(4). This is his second final in a row, after finishing as the runner-up at the Gijon Open last week.
Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Sebastian Korda head-to-head
The two have split their previous couple of meetings evenly to tie the head-to-head at 1-1. Korda won their previous encounter at the 2022 Estoril Open in straight sets.
Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Sebastian Korda odds
(All odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Sebastian Korda prediction
Korda played really well towards the end of his semifinal match against Thiem. His forehand in particular was quite impressive, finding the lines from different angles throughout the match. He finished with 50 winners and 28 unforced errros. The American's serving stats were good as well and he managed to hit 11 aces.
Auger-Aliassime rained down 22 aces during his win over Gasquet in the semifinals. If he continues to serve this well, Korda might find it tough to do anything about it. The Canadian didn't face a single break point in the previous round. His ground game was on point too, striking 45 winners to just 12 unforced errors.
With both players being in good form, this promises to be a really exciting and hard-fought contest. After losing so many finals, Auger-Aliassime seems to have turned over a new leaf. He also seems motivated to get that ATP Finals spot as well. The Canadian will have the edge in this encounter, though Korda won't go down without a fight.
Pick: Felix Auger-Aliassime to win in three sets.
Also Check Out: Sebastian Korda Net Worth