Australian Open 2025: 25 favorites to watch out for | No. 20, Men's Singles
Moving on with the countdown for the men's singles title favorites at the Australian Open 2025, Sebastian Korda kicks off the top 20 at No. 20. 2024 was a return to form for him, and he claimed his second career title and his first at the ATP 500 level with a win at the Citi Open in Washington.
Korda's father had also won the same tournament back in the day, and they became the first father-son duo to achieve this feat. He also finished as the runner-up at the Libema Open, and advanced to the semifinals of the Canadian Open, his second such run at the Masters 1000 level. He also won the doubles title at the Madrid Open, his first in the discipline.
Korda's results helped him attain a career-high ranking of No. 15, and he concluded the season ranked No. 22 with a 31-19 record. His progress was stalled as he didn't compete after a second-round loss at the US Open. He was experiencing some elbow issues for a while, and underwent a surgery to deal with it, which went without a hitch.
Sebastian Korda hoping to emulate his father Petr Korda with a title at the Australian Open
Sebastian Korda's father Petr won his only Major title at the Australian Open 1998. Two decades later, he followed in his father's footsteps and won the boy's singles title in Melbourne in 2018. Now, he will be itching to do the same as a pro.
Korda has a pretty decent record at the Australian Open with a 73 percent winning rate. He reached the third round on his debut in 2022, and advanced to the quarterfinals the following year. He beat previous year's finalist Daniil Medvedev to do so.
The 24-year-old progressed to the third round this year as well. The Australian Open is the only Major where he hasn't lost in the first round, and where he has also progressed to his only Grand Slam quarterfinal.
Korda was among the first ones from his generation to have a Major breakthrough. He reached the fourth round of the French Open 2020 on his Major debut. However, his peers such as Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have surpassed him.
Korda was starting to gather some momentum in the second half of 2024 when he had to undergo a surgery. If he picks up from where he left off in the previous season, then he has the potential to make a deep run in Melbourne next year.
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