Korda Turns the Tide on Ruud in Delray
Sebastian Korda shook off a shaky start to outlast Casper Ruud in a gritty three-setter at the Delray Beach Open, punching his ticket back to the semifinals with renewed fire.
In the sticky South Florida air, Sebastian KordaSebastian Korda stared down second seed Casper RuudCasper Ruud on the hard courts of the Delray Beach Open. The American, whose 2026 season had been a grind of early exits, delivered a composed upset, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2, in two hours and six minutes. This victory marked his first semifinal here since 2021, a breakthrough that silenced the doubts hanging over his game.
The opening set unraveled for Korda in a haze of errors, as he racked up 17 unforced miscues while Ruud’s steady baseline probing kept him pinned back. The Norwegian’s heavy topspin from the backcourt forced overhitting on Korda’s inside-out forehands, turning potential weapons into liabilities. Yet as the crowd at the seaside venue sensed the American’s frustration, he began to reset, his shoulders loosening between points.
“I tried battling as much as I could,” Korda said. “Luckily, I found some form and started playing really well after that [first set].”
Momentum breaks from the brink
Trailing 3-2 in the second set, Korda faced 40-0 on Ruud‘s serve, a deficit that could have buried him deeper. Instead, he clawed back with a deep return that jammed the Norwegian, followed by a crosscourt forehand slicing the line for the break. That shift ignited his rally; he snagged another break in the eighth game, capping the set with a forehand return winner that rippled through the stands.
Ruud’s consistent 1–2 pattern, blending serve with inside-in forehands, had dominated early, but Korda’s adjustments disrupted the rhythm. The American started mixing in underspin slices to pull Ruud forward, exposing cracks in the baseline exchange. With the crowd’s energy building, Korda’s movement sharpened, turning the medium-paced hard courts into his ally against the top-10 seed’s retrieval game.
Net rushes seal the surge
Into the third, Korda struck first with a stunning volley to break serve, then owned the net, winning 24 of 29 points there. He fired 10 aces and took 72 percent of his first-serve points (34 of 47), per ATP Stats, blending power serves with quick transitions that overwhelmed Ruud’s topspin loops. The Norwegian, usually a master at grinding down opponents, faltered as Korda’s aggression shortened points and flipped the psychological script.
This wasn’t mere survival; Korda’s tactical pivot—more approaches and varied returns—exposed Ruud’s vulnerabilities on the faster surface, where prolonged rallies favored the American’s athleticism. At 25, he walked off court lighter, the weight of a stagnant season easing with each winner. The upset evened their head-to-head at 2-2, a personal milestone amid his push toward the top 15.
Now Korda faces third seed Flavio Cobolli, who grinded past Coleman Wong 7-5, 6-7(7), 6-2 in two hours and 14 minutes, denying the 21-year-old his first tour-level semifinal. Cobolli’s flat-hitting style, resilient in tiebreaks, sets up a clash of rising talents where net play could clash with baseline fire. For Korda, a deep run here promises rankings momentum, the Florida humidity thick with the scent of resurgence.
