Korda pleased with match performance ahead of showdown with Nadal at Indian Wells

Already touted as one of the stars of the future, Sebastian Korda backed up these expectations with a clinical win over Thanasi Kokkinakis in his opening match at the BNP Paribas Open Indian Wells event on Thursday night.

The American secured a 6-3 6-4 win over his Australian opponent, dominating play in blustery conditions to improve to 2-0 in career meetings against Kokkinakis.

“It was a great win," said Korda after the match. "I think in all my years of playing here at Indian Wells, since I was 12 years old, I’ve never played at night. So it was a new experience for me, I’m super happy with the way I played and just a great match overall.

“I just stuck with the tactics that I brought into Delray, and they worked really well tonight.”

The World No.38 has been stellar over the past year, finishing the 2021 season with a personal best 31-wins and claiming his maiden ATP title in Parma. Furthermore, the 21-year old finished runner-up at last year's NextGen ATP Finals.

Korda will face the most difficult test of his career as he takes on 21-Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal in the second round. The Spaniard won their only previous encounter when they clashed at the 2020 French Open, with Korda winning just four games acress three sets.