Korda Edges Thiem In Antwerp Thriller

europeantennisopen

Sebastian Korda won a semi-final thriller at the European Open Saturday when he rallied from a break down in the third set to edge Dominic Thiem 6-7(4), 6-3, 7-6(4) at the ATP 250 event in Antwerp.

The American recovered from losing a tight first set as he held his nerve and maintained his focus in the crucial moments to advance to his second tour-level final of the season after two hours and 47 minutes.

“I am very happy. It was a great battle between both of us,” Korda said in his on-court interview. “I think every single game in the first set we were 30/30 and couldn’t get through the barrier. I think the second set was key. A lot of breaks in that set, but I just stayed calm and confident.

“You can never really prepare for a final-set tie-break but I am pleased with how I stayed calm and confident.”

In his first ATP Head2Head meeting against the Austrian Thiem, Korda hit 49 winners, won 72 per cent (49/68) of his first-serve points and broke four times. The 22-year-old will face second-seeded Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime or Frenchman Richard Gasquet in the championship match.

Korda has now won eight of his past nine matches, having reached the final in Gijon last week. He is up to No. 33 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings and will rise to No. 30 if he wins the title in Antwerp. Korda is trying to win his second tour-level crown this week after triumphing in Parma last year.

Thiem was looking to reach his first tour-level final since 2020, when he advanced to the title match at the Nitto ATP Finals. The Austrian is currently No. 113 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings as he continues his march back to the Top 100.