Comeback king Korda overcomes Gaston at Next Gen Finals

The American came from two sets down and saved a match point to begin his campaign with a victory

Sebastian Korda in Paris (Panoramic)

November 9, 2021

Sebastian Korda came from two sets down to save a match point and beat Hugo Gaston in a bizarrely topsy-turvy epic in the opening Group B encounter at the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals, 3-4, 3-4, 4-0, 4-3, 4-0.

“[I] just stayed calm and kept thinking what I could do better,” Korda said afterwards. “I did play very well tactically in the first two sets, but I figured a couple of things out during the tie-break and I think that helped me for the rest of the match.”

The tournament’s two 21-year-olds had never played each other before, but Korda is the significantly higher-ranked one, with a career high of No 38 compared to Gaston’s of No 67, his current position.

In a match that lasted two hours and two minutes, Sebastian Korda hit nearly three times the number of Gaston’s winners – 39 compared to 15. The American also sent ten aces down, and took five of his 18 break point opportunities – a little loose, perhaps, but better than Gaston’s single break of serve, which came in the opening set.

And to add insult to injury, the Frenchman also got a code violation for thumping the ball towards the ceiling with frustration during the fourth set.