WATCH: Sebastian Korda says his ultimate goal is to win ‘two Grand Slam’ titles to have the bragging rights over his dad Petr 

Sebastian Korda beat Ben Shelton on Thursday to reach the semifinals of Shanghai Masters.

WATCH: Sebastian Korda says his ultimate goal is to win ‘two Grand Slam’ titles to have the bragging rights over his dad Petr 

Sebastian Korda with his father Petr Korda (Image via Petr Korda)

American tennis player Sebastian Korda on Thursday defeated compatriot Ben Shelton to advance into the semifinals of the 2023 Shanghai Masters and reached one step closer to winning his first singles title of the year. The American who has only won an ATP 250 tournament so far in his career has expressed his ambition to win two Grand Slam titles, one more than his father Petr Korda. 

While speaking to the press after his win over Shelton, Korda was asked if there is any pressure on him to do well, considering sports runs in his family. The 23-year-old said that he does not feel anything of that sort as he is doing what he loves. Korda then also cited the examples of his sisters to prove his point that everyone is doing what they love. 

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The American then talked about his ambition to win two Grand Slam titles. Korda said that he wants to win one title more than his father to keep the bragging rights with him. “I don’t think it creates any pressure. In the end, we all are doing kind of what we love to do. Tennis is something that I just love doing, be it watching or playing. I just enjoy being here,” said Korda.

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“Obviously, I would love to be better than my dad. My ultimate goal in tennis is to win two Grand Slams, one more than my dad. But I don’t think there is any pressure. I just love playing tennis and I am having a lot of fun right now,” added Korda.

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Can Sebastian Korda win his first ATP 1000 title in Shanghai?

While a Grand Slam title seems a distant dream for Sebastian Korda, the 23-year-old American stands a chance to lift his maiden ATP 1000 title here in Shanghai. Having defeated Ben Shelton in some fashion, Korda is running high on confidence and will fancy his chances when he meets Hubert Hurcakz in the semifinals. The American is already really excited have reached his maiden Masters semifinal.

Sebastian-Korda
Sebastian Korda (Image via Tennis.com)

“It’s super cool,” said Korda. “I played a really high level. Ben did as well, so I think it was a really high level. We had a lot of great points out there and hopefully, it’s the first of many battles that we play against each other. He’s such an electric tennis player and it was a lot of fun to share the court with him today.”

Now, having mitigated the Shelton challenge, Korda has two more tough opponents to face and the first one, Hurcakz will be a thorn in the flesh. The Pole has been playing some really good tennis off late. It is his second semifinal in an ATP 1000 event this year and Hurcakz will expect to win. The two players have faced each other twice and have the head-to-head record leveled at 1-1. So, Korda will fancy his chances to topple the Pole and reach his first Masters final.

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