Playing in his second Delray Beach Open final, Sebastian Korda won his third ATP title with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Tommy Paul on Sunday afternoon. Korda, the 2021 runner-up, snapped an 0-40 hole while serving for the tournament 5-3 in the second set to win in one hour and 22 minutes.
“(It means) a lot,” the 50th-ranked American confirmed. “I’ve been through some things the last few months (and) years. I’ve lost a lot in the finals, and now to get one here in Delray…that’s where I made my first ATP final, so it’s like a full circle day. I’m just happy.”
It was a perfectly fitting title, too. Korda was the best player all week as he knocked out three of the top five seeds – Paul (No. 3), Casper Ruud (No. 2 in the quarterfinals), and Flavio Cobolli (No. 3 in the semis). He also knocked out teammates Mackenzie McDonald and Alex Michelsen in the first and second rounds, respectively.
In the finals, Korda simply handled the conditions better than Paul. In a strong wind, the 25-year-old was able to serve 67 percent and hit nine aces with only two errors. He was broken only once and answered that single break in the first game of the second set with a quick break.
It looked like Paul would stay alive with his second break of the day in the final game, but Korda saved four break points to reach the finish line.
“It’s as satisfying as it gets, to win a championship (after working) from 0-40 down,” Korda said during a post-game interview. “I’ve worked very hard, especially mentally, in the last few weeks – trusting the process, sticking to my gun, and not getting into any bad situations.”
