Astana Open 2023: Sebastian Korda vs Alexei Popyrin preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds, and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (5) Sebastian Korda vs Alexei Popyrin
Tournament: Astana Open 2023
Round: First Round (Round of 32)
Venue: National Tennis Center, Astana, Kazakhstan
Category: ATP 250
Surface: Hard (Indoor)
Prize money: $1,017,850
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - TSN
Sebastian Korda vs Alexei Popyrin preview
Fifth seed Sebastian Korda will take on Alexei Popyrin in the first round of the 2023 Astana Open.
Korda started the season with a runner-up finish at the Adelaide International 1, where he gave Novak Djokovic a hard time in the final. He then reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, but was forced to retire in the third set due to an injury.
Korda was sidelined for three months and upon his return during the clay swing, he managed to win just one match across three tournaments. A semifinal at the Queen's Club Championships didn't lead to a successful campaign at Wimbledon, where he fell in the first round.
A semifinal finish at the Winston-Salem Open marked Korda's best performance in the lead-up to the US Open. However, he crashed out in the first round of the season's last Major. At last week's Zhuhai Championships, the American made the last four in singles and doubles.
Popyrin started the season ranked outside the top 100, but reached a career-high ranking of No. 40 last month. This was mainly due to him winning his second career title at the Croatia Open.
Popyrin reached his maiden quarterfinal at the Masters 1000 level in Cincinnati. At the Majors, a third round appearance at the Australian Open was his best showing, while he failed to win a match at the other three Grand Slams.
Sebastian Korda vs Alexei Popyrin head-to-head
This will be the first meeting between them, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.
Sebastian Korda vs Alexei Popyrin odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Sebastian Korda vs Alexei Popyrin prediction
After a strong showing in Zhuhai, Korda will be eyeing another deep run in Astana. While he was unable to build upon his strong start to the season, he'll aim to finish the year on a high.
Popyrin will be competing for the first time since his early exit from the US Open. He's the better server when compared to Korda and is able to win a lot of free points thanks to some timely aces. He's ranked 13th on the tour when it comes to the number of aces hit this year, serving 385 of them from 37 matches.
However, Korda has the edge when it comes to other aspects of the game. He's the better mover and more consistent in his shotmaking. Popyrin also has a losing record against players ranked in the top 50.
The Australian is 4-7 against them this season and his overall record against top 50 opposition stands at 20-44. As such, Korda should be able to handle everything Popyrin hits to him to advance further.
Pick: Sebastian Korda to win in straight sets.