Australian Open 2022: Cameron Norrie vs Sebastian Korda preview, head-to-head and prediction
Match Details
Fixture: [12] Cameron Norrie vs Sebastian Korda
Date: 17 January 2022
Tournament: Australian Open
Round: First round (Round of 128)
Venue: Melbourne Park
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Hard
Prize Money: $75,000,000
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Eurosport | India - Sony Six/Sony Liv
Cameron Norrie vs Sebastian Korda Preview
12th seed Cameron Norrie will begin his Australian Open 2022 campaign against World No. 40 Sebastian Korda in a blockbuster first-round clash on Monday.
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Norrie had a fantastic 2021 season, winning his maiden Masters 1000 title in Indian Wells. He also won the Los Cabos Open in Mexico and reached the final of the Queen's Club Championships. As a result of his performances, the Brit's ranking rose from 71 to 12.
However, he has failed to carry that momentum into 2022 and had a torrid ATP Cup campaign. The 26-year-old lost all of his singles matches, to Alexander Zverev, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Taylor Fritz.
He will be hoping to bounce back in Melbourne, where he has never been beyond the third round.
Sebastian Korda, meanwhile, is one of the fastest rising young players on tour. The 21-year-old reached the final of the Delray Beach Open last year and followed it up by making the quarterfinals of the Miami Masters after defeating Fabio Fognini, Aslan Karatsev and Diego Schwartzman en route.
He won his first ATP title at the Emilia-Romagna Open in Italy before reaching the fourth round of Wimbledon.
Korda qualified for the NextGen Finals in Milan, winning all of his matches in the round robin stage. The American defeated Brandon Nakashima to set up a clash with Carlos Alcaraz in the final, which he lost in straight sets.
The Australian Open will be Korda's first tournament this year.
Cameron Norrie vs Sebastian Korda head-to-head
The first-round clash between Norrie and Korda at the Australian Open will be the second meeting between the two players. Sebastian Korda leads the head-to-head 1-0, having triumphed 6-3, 7-5 at Delray Beach last year.
Cameron Norrie vs Sebastian Korda prediction
This could be one of the most closely-contested first-round matches in Melbourne this year. Norrie is ranked 12th in the world while Korda is a future top-10 player.
The American is an aggressive baseliner who likes to take the ball on the rise and dictate the points. He also has variety in his game and can use the dropshot to good effect.
Norrie, on his part, will look to redirect the American's pace and keep him on his toes. The Brit is very solid from the back of the court and rarely gives away cheap points. Ultimately, Norrie's experience could tilt the scales in his favor and help him advance to the second round.
Prediction: Norrie to win in four sets.