"It all came down to the clutch moments" - Korda reacts to first round win over Karatsev in Paris

Sebastian Korda made his Paris Masters debut with a bang on Monday, edging out 13th seed Aslan Karatsev in a tight three set match.

The American prevailed in a close 6-2 6-7(9) 7-6(5) victory, securing a spot in the second round at the expense of the World No.16.

"I knew what to expect and it all came down to the clutch moments,” said Korda after the match. “It was so much fun to play in front of the Paris crowd, they get so fired up and it is so awesome.”

The 21-year old squandered two match points in the second set tiebreak, before dropping it to Karatsev. The deciding set went to another tiebreak, with Korda finally claiming victory on his fourth match point.

"I had a lot of chances in the second set and I didn’t take them,” reflected Korda. “Then he broke me and I broke back and it was a dog fight in the end. I had match points in the second set and learnt a few things in the tie-break. It was just getting myself back into those break point opportunities and finding a way”.