MELBOURNE: American young gun Sebastian Korda stunned former world No 1 Daniil Medvedev 7-6(7), 6-3, 7-6(4) in a thrilling contest to evict the losing finalist of the last two years from the Australian Open in the third round today.
The 22-year-old took the game to the Russian seventh seed from the start on Rod Laver Arena, firing winners from both sides, mixing it up with some serve-volley and lofting a few delightful drop shots.
The 29th seed, son of 1998 Australian Open champion Petr, prevailed in a thrilling tiebreak to win an 85-minute opening set and needed only one break to seal the second.
It was only at a break down in the third that 2021 US Open champion Medvedev showed the quality that took him to the top of the world rankings but Korda would not be denied and again won the tiebreak to set up a meeting with 10th seed Hubert Hurkacz.