Top seeds Casper Ruud and Flavio Cobolli have safely advanced to the quarterfinals in Delray Beach and will continue their bid for the title on Friday. They will compete against Sebastian Korda and Coleman Wong, respectively.
Sebastian Korda vs. (2) Casper Ruud
Ruud and Korda will be facing each other for the third time in their careers when the two sons of champions fight for a place in the semifinals of the Delray Beach Open on Friday. The head-to-head series stands at 2-0 in favor of the Norwegian, giving the Ruud family an overall 3-0 advantage (Christian beat Petr in their one meeting at the 1999 Miami Open). Korda at least managed to compete this fall on the hard courts of Stockholm, where he fell 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-4.
Delray Beach gives Korda a great opportunity to get over the hump. This is the Florida native’s home tournament and he is 8-2 lifetime in Delray Beach with a runner-up appearance in 2021. So far this week the world number 50 has dismissed Mackenzie McDonald and Alex Michelsen in straight sets. He is 8-2 in his last 10 matches with the San Diego Challenger runner-up and Dallas quarterfinal loss to Taylor Fritz in a third-set tiebreaker. Ruud was respectable but unspectacular in his 4-6, 7-6 (6), 6-4 win over Marcos Giron on Wednesday night, so don’t be surprised if Korda is seen improving.
Select: Korda in 3
Coleman Wong vs. (3) Flavio Cobolli
Cobolli got a much-needed win on Wednesday, ending a four-match skid with a 7-5, 6-4 loss to Terence Atmane. The 20th-ranked Italian has been showing signs of a repeat of his seven-match losing streak this time last year, from the United Cup through the Indian Wells Masters. Cobolli was not competing against the lower level players in Melbourne, Montpellier and Dallas, but he managed to turn things around against Atmane.
Next up is the third seed’s first match against Wong, who has already had a dominant week. The 21-year-old from Hong Kong successfully qualified for the main draw and upset both Nuno Borges (7-6(5), 4-6, 6-3) and Brandon Nakashima (straight sets). Winning in Florida is nothing new for Wong, who beat Ben Shelton on his way to the third round of the Miami Masters last year. Sound another angry warning.
Pick: Wong at 3
