ATP Tour

Korda makes winning return in Winston-Salem; 17-year-old Blanch advances

After being sidelined for two-and-a-half months due to a right shin stress fracture, Sebastian Korda returned to competition Monday in winning fashion at the Winston-Salem Open.

The 25-year-old American downed Vit Kopriva 6-3, 6-4 to claim his 12th win of the season and first since Roland Garros, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.

“All the emotions possible,” Korda said when asked about how it feels to be back competing. “It’s fun to be back here. The last time I was here was in 2023 and had some good results, so it’s nice to be back here. Hopefully it stays hot and I can keep playing some good tennis.”

Seeded 11th, Korda will next meet seventh seed Nuno Borges or Poland’s Kamil Majchrzak.

In other action, it was a memorable day for #NextGenATP 17-year-old Darwin Blanch, who claimed his maiden tour-level victory against former World No. 12 Borna Coric 6-4, 7-6(5). The qualifier Blanch won the USTA Boys’ 18s Nationals in Kalamazoo earlier this month and has since continued his red-hot form.

Fellow qualifier and #NextGenATP American Nishesh Basavareddy also advanced with a 6-2, 7-6(2) win against Belgian Raphael Collignon. Basavreddy, seventh in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah, is aiming for a return trip to the 20-and-under Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, which runs from 17-21 December. Blanch is 18th in the Race To Jeddah.

Marton Fucsovics was a 6-3, 6-3 winner against Hugo Gaston. Mattia Bellucci, who won the Sumter Challenger on Sunday, made a fast start at the ATP 250 with a 6-4, 6-3 victory against Francisco Comesana. Kamil Majchrzak closed the day by upsetting seventh seed Nuno Borges 6-1, 6-3.