Sebastian Korda achieved a significant career milestone by capturing the Washington Open title, mirroring his father Petr’s victory 32 years ago. Korda’s 4-6, 6-2, 6-0 win over Flavio Cobolli on Sunday marked an unprecedented moment in ATP Tour history, as it was the first time a father and son had won the same event. Petr Korda, a Czech tennis legend, triumphed at the tournament in 1992.
“I’ve been coming to this tournament since I was a teenager. My dad used to coach Radek Stepanek, who also won here in 2011,” said American Korda, now coached by Stepanek. “We have a lot of history with this tournament. One of my biggest goals was one day coming here and hopefully winning the tournament and putting my name up there on the stadium.”
This victory holds immense significance for Korda. “This is probably the most special moment of my career so far,” he expressed.
Korda’s triumph also made him the first American man to win the Washington crown since Andy Roddick in 2007. As he gears up for the US Open, which begins on August 26, Korda joins a group of American men aiming to end the country’s 21-year Grand Slam drought. Korda emphasizes a sense of camaraderie and healthy rivalry among his fellow American players.
“When someone does a great result, the other guys want to do an even better one,” Korda explained. “It’s really great that all the Americans are close. All the Americans are playing really great tennis right now. Hopefully, we can make a big push in the coming Grand Slam soon.”
