Sebastian Korda credits his father Petr for giving him invaluable advice for crunch moments as he defeats Ben Shelton coming from a set down in Shanghai

Sebastian Korda beat Ben Shelton 6-7(12), 6-2, 7-6(6) in the quarterfinal of the 2023 Shanghai Masters.

Sebastian Korda credits his father Petr for giving him invaluable advice for crunch moments as he defeats Ben Shelton coming from a set down in Shanghai

Ben Shelton and Sebastian Korda (Source: The Independent)

Sebastian Korda just did the unexpected by defeating Ben Shelton in the quarterfinal of the 2023 Shanghai Masters. Youngster Ben Shelton made a mark for himself in the 2023 US Open and has since been referred to as the most promising player from the USA. However, fellow American Sebastian Korda’s performance against him might help shift the opinions of some fans in his favor. 

The match between Korda and Shelton can be considered one of the most thrilling and competitive matches in the 2023 Shanghai Masters. It had as many as two tiebreaks. Ben Shelton defeated Sebastian Korda in the first set after a thrilling tie-breaker that ended 12-10. However, the 23-year-old then overcame the first set defeat and ended up winning the next two sets back-to-back. 

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The American opined that the invaluable advice that his father, Petr Korda, gave him for crunch moments helped him defeat Ben Shelton in the round of 16. “One of the most important things about having a father who played tennis is understanding certain key moments of the match. I think that in these moments, you have to remain very calm,” he said in the post-match presser. 

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He further continued,“When you have such a big lead, you can panic, blame yourself and get lost. I think that’s one of the most important things that both of my parents taught me is to always believe in yourself, no matter what the situation, and to go for it.”

Korda added that irrespective of whatever happens, one just has to believe in himself, move forward, and enjoy the moment. “It’s always a very nervous moment, for sure, but in those moments you really enjoy them, you just want to be on the winning side.”

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Sebastian Korda takes on Hubert Hurkacz in the quarterfinals 

Sebastian Korda will now take on Polish international Hubert Hurkacz in the semifinals of the 2023 Shanghai Masters. Both Korda and Hurkacz have had a brilliant campaign in the tournament so far but Korda’s path to the semis was harder as he had to face and defeat the likes of Daniil Medvedev and Ben Shelton. 

Sebastian Korda (L), Hubert Hurkacz (R)
Sebastian Korda (L), Hubert Hurkacz (R) (Sources: New York Times, Tennis.Com)

In fact, Korda has probably had the hardest path in the tournament and thus deserves to have a shot at the title. Hubert Hurkacz and Sebastian Korda played a total of two matches against each other. They won one match each. Thus, although it is difficult to predict this match, Korda has a slight advantage, having already defeated two great players.

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