Sebastian Korda reached his first ATP final in more than a year on Saturday, toppling third-seeded Italian Flavio Cobolli 7-6 (7/1), 6-1 to book a title showdown with Tommy Paul in Delray Beach, Florida.
“I think it was a great match,” Korda said. “I think I served pretty well. I didn’t have too many pressure situations on my serve, and that opens up the returns.
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“I think I played a great tiebreaker, and then after that I started feeling the ball a little better, coming back a little better and putting a little pressure on him.”
Korda did not face a break point as he produced a strong serving performance that included a dozen aces.
He will compete in the Delray Beach final for the second time, after finishing second to Hubert Hurkacz in 2021.
This time he will face fellow American Paul, the fifth seed, who rallied to beat fellow American Learner Tien, the fourth seed, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.
Paul is in his first final since winning the trophy in Stockholm in 2024. Since then, he was 0-5 in semi-finals.
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“He obviously played incredible tennis in the first (set),” said Paul, who was hampered last season by injuries including torn ligaments in his foot and an abdominal strain.
“I felt like I was really struggling to stay with him. I felt like he was doing everything a little bit better than me. I knew I had to mix things up and try to change the pace…I thought I did a great job mixing things up.”
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