It will be an all-American final between former finalist Tommy Paul and his compatriot Sebastian Korda to bring this year’s edition of the Delay Beach to a close on Sunday.
Second time in the finals here in Delray, so I’m really looking forward to tomorrow’s match. Tommy Paul
Paul actually eliminated his second compatriot Learner Tien in the semi-finals, after ousting top seed Taylor Fritz in the quarter-finals.
Seeded fifth, Paul rallied past Tien to beat the southpaw, eight years his junior, 4-6 6-4 6-3, in what proved to be an excellent tennis match with excellent court coverage and extended rallies throughout the two-hour, fourteen-minute encounter.
The 28-year-old Paul rode to a 3-0 lead in the decider and saved four break points to take the lead 3-1. He managed to fend off another break point at 4-2 and another at 5-3, ultimately claiming his place in the final for the second time.
“He obviously played fantastic tennis in the first set,” Paul said of Tien. “I was really struggling to stay with him. I felt like he was doing everything a little bit better than me, but I knew I had to mix things up and try to change the rhythm – score a little more, cut a little more. I thought I did a great job of mixing it up, serving and playing volleyball a little bit.”
“Second time in the finals here in Delray, so I’m really looking forward to tomorrow’s match.”
He faces Korda for his fifth title, but has a 2-4 win-loss record against his compatriot.
(Photo by Mauricio Paiz/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The 25-year-old Korda, meanwhile, reached his first Tour final in more than a year by beating third seed Flavio Cobolli 7-6(1) 6-1, hitting 12 aces past the Italian and not facing a break point in their 76-minute semi-final.
“I think it was a great match. I think I served pretty well. I didn’t have too many pressure situations on my serve, and that opens up the win,” Korda said. “I think I played a great tiebreaker, and then I started to feel the ball a little bit better, return a little better and put some pressure on him.”
Korda reached the final in 2021, losing to Hubert Hurkacz, and is determined to lift the trophy this time in the all-American clash.
“That’s where you want to be, especially here in the United States,” Korda said. “You want these American finals, and it’s definitely going to be an American final, so it’s definitely going to be exciting.”
#Delray #Beach #Paul #Korda #finalists #reach #title