Korda’s resilient rally extends Athens adventure
Under the lights of the Hellenic Championship, Sebastian Korda battles back against Alexei Popyrin’s firepower, while Alejandro Tabilo steels himself for a daunting clash with Novak Djokovic amid the indoor swing’s rising stakes.
In the echoing arena of Athens on a crisp November evening, Sebastian Korda fought to prolong his debut in Greece, turning a shaky start into a hard-earned triumph. The American, sensing the season’s closing urgency, absorbed Alexei Popyrin‘s early dominance before surging to a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory in the Vanda Pharmaceuticals Hellenic Championship. This win, echoing their three-set duel in Stockholm weeks earlier, highlighted Korda’s growing edge in a rivalry defined by explosive serves and grinding exchanges.
Korda sharpens second-serve defense
Popyrin seized the first set with eight aces, his aggressive inside-in forehands pinning Korda into crosscourt scrambles on the slick hard courts. But the 25-year-old American adjusted, bolstering his second-serve hold at 66 percent while restricting his opponent to 45 percent, a shift that ignited the comeback through deeper returns and patient one–two patterns. As the crowd’s murmurs built into cheers, Korda’s tactical poise transformed defensive holds into break opportunities, flipping the match’s tempo decisively.
“It was up and down, but overall I think I improved my level in the second set,” Korda said. “He was serving great. In the first set he had eight aces, so I was just trying to put it back in the court and try to take my chances whenever I could. But [it is] always very difficult with him, he’s got an incredible serve and is very aggressive.”
Off the court, the city has provided a welcome anchor, with Korda drawing energy from its streets and cuisine to sustain his late-season push. “It’s been amazing, walking around a little bit, enjoying the great food that they have here and just really enjoying it,” he noted, his reflections underscoring the mental lift amid the tour’s grind. This blend of resilience and recharge sets him up to chase deeper runs before the calendar turns.
Tabilo endures marathon for Djokovic rematch
Across the draw, Alejandro Tabilo clawed through a three-hour epic against Adam Walton, prevailing 7-6(7), 6-7(6), 7-5 to earn a high-voltage encounter with top seed Novak Djokovic. Holding a 2-0 lead in their head-to-head, the Chilean thrives on these indoor surfaces where his flat groundstrokes slice through, but the looming duel demands flawless execution against the Serbian’s return precision and down-the-line counters. The centre court’s vastness, evoking grand-slam intensity, amplifies the anticipation as Tabilo eyes a third upset to jolt the rankings.
“It’s amazing. I went to see it yesterday and it’s huge,” Tabilo said of the centre court in Athens, where he will likely take on the Serbian. “I’ve played thankfully now at the US Open in Arthur Ashe [Stadium], kind of feel like that atmosphere. I’m just really excited to play, even with Djokovic there, it’s just going to be crazy.”
Meanwhile, sixth seed Nuno Borges advanced steadily, outlasting Greek wild card Stefanos Sakellaridis 7-6(4), 6-3 with baseline consistency that neutralized home-crowd fervor. In Metz at the Moselle Open, French momentum built as Arthur Cazaux dispatched tricky lefty Adrian Mannarino 6-3, 7-6(4), his aggressive returns countering underspin on the even-bouncing indoors. Hugo Gaston capped the night with a 6-4, 6-1 rout of Terence Atmane, blending drop shots and net rushes to dominate the quicker tempo.
Indoor swing tests late-season resolve
These results ripple through a compressed schedule, where every hold and break shapes year-end trajectories amid the hard courts’ unforgiving speed. Korda’s defensive tweaks and Tabilo’s endurance signal rising threats in a field hungry for points, while the French duo in Metz fuels national intrigue on familiar terrain. As the lights dim on another Sunday, the survivors carry forward the quiet fire of unfinished business, poised for the tactical battles that will define November’s close.
