Korda downs Hurkacz after 5-set battle in Melbourne

In a complex match, Sebastián Korda defeated the Pole and will play against Karen Khachanov in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open.

Korda had beaten two-time Australian Open finalist Daniil Medvedev in the previous round, and he wanted to confirm his good moment against Hubert Hurkacz. The World No. 11 got a great start and hit a quick break in the first set. After that, he held on to that lead to take it 6-4. At that time, Korda could not connect the strong forehand that he has shown in other games, and the Pole's defense seemed to make him desperate.

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Everything changed in the second set, the American was on the rise, began a stronger blow with his forehand and connected more winners. Even though his rival did her best to defend, the 29th seed remained very aggressive, something that was already uncontrollable for "Hubi". The 22-year-old held on to take the lead, winning 6-3 and 6-2.

Hurckacz managed to stay calm in the match despite being down on the scoreboard. In the fourth set, his consistent defense and an improvement on his serve allowed him to quickly win the set 6-1. The set was lackluster for Korda, who conceded two games of service and was more erratic than in previous sets.

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The final set was the one that showed the highest level of tennis, with several rallies won by each player. Equality was maintained and the match had to be decided in 10-point tie-break. Korda got to 7-3, but with great resistance the 10th seed pushed to tie 7-7. After that the American got a mini-break and in an incredible final rally closed 10-7.

The final score was 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 1-6, 7-6 for the North American.