American men's tennis finally has group of players that can fight consistently at end of Slams, says Greg Rusedski, picks Sebastian Korda as best bet
Greg Rusedski has hailed the depth of US men's tennis following inspired runs by a few of their players, including Sebastian Korda, at the ongoing Australian Open.
On Wednesday (January 25), Tommy Paul beat his compatriot Ben Shelton in four sets to reach his first Grand Slam semifinal, while 29th seed Sebastian Korda lost in the last eight to Russia's Karen Khachanov.
Shelton had beaten another compatriot, JJ Wolf, in an all-American quarterfinal two days ago. Meanwhile, Paul saw off fellow American Jenson Brooksby in the third round before upsetting 24th seed Roberto Bautista Agut.
Earlier, the top American men's seed - World No. 9 Taylor Fritz - stumbled in the second round against Alexei Popyrin. 16th seed Frances Tiafoe, on the other hand, lost disappointingly in the third round against 18th seed Khachanov.
@TommyPaul1 is through to the #AO2023 semifinals 🤩 🇺🇸 @TommyPaul1 is through to the #AO2023 semifinals 🤩
He defeats compatriot Ben Shelton 7-6(6) 6-3 5-7 6-4.
@wwos • @espn • @Eurosport • @wowowtennis • #AusOpen https://t.co/yPV97iIfkQ
In light of all this, Rusedski tweeted about the emerging American presence in the ATP top 10, tipping one of Paul, Shelton, Tiafoe, Fritz and Korda to win a Grand Slam in the coming years.
"American men's tennis finally looks like having a group of players that could be fighting consistently at the end of majors. Possibly 2/3 top ten players. Paul/Shelton/Tiafoe/ Korda/ and Fritz who is top 10. Who do you think will win a major out of this group?"
American men's tennis finally looks like having a group of players that could be fighting consistently at the end of majors. Possibly 2/3 top ten players. Paul/Shelton/Tiafoe/ Korda/ and Fritz who is top 10.
Who do you think will win a major out of this group?
The former player reckons Korda could be the one to make the breakthrough following his brilliant run at Melbourne Park this fortnight, tweeting:
"Agree Korda best bet," Rusedski tweeted to a fan who reckoned he had the most potential.
@SamirKu73625117 Agree Korda best bet
Korda stunned two-time finalist Daniil Medvedev in straight sets in the third round of the Australian Open before lasting the distance against tenth seed Hubert Hurkacz in a fifth-set supertiebreak in the next.
"Obviously it's not the way you want to finish the match" - Karen Khachanov after beating Sebastian Korda at Australian Open
Sebastian Korda was three wins away from emulating his father Petr's title run at Melbourne Park 25 years ago.
However, after his exploits against Medvedev and Hurkacz, Korda came unstuck against Khachanov in the last eight fixture. The Russian couldn't serve out the first set but took the opener in a tiebreak before conceding only three games to take a two-set lead.
With Korda down 3-0 in the third round, the American called it quits after struggling with a wrist injury.
Sebastian Korda retires.
Olympic Silver medalist Karen Khachanov reaches back to back Grand Slam semifinals, this time at the #AusOpen.
Was leading 7-6(5), 6-3, 3-0. https://t.co/acyIrfm1U7
Khachanov bemoaned the way the match ended, saying:
"Obviously it's not the way you want to finish the match. Until a certain point it was very competitive. Sebastian beat one of my friends, Daniil (Medvedev) in three sets and (Hubert) Hurkacz in five. He's playing great tennis."
While Khachanov will take on third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas for a place in the final, Korda will break into the top 30 next week.