Korda beats Medvedev, extends U.S. men's upset run at Australian Open

Jan. 20 (UPI) -- Sebastian Korda became the fourth American man to upset a Top 12 player at the 2023 Australian Open, beating No. 7 Daniil Medvedev of Russia in straight sets early Saturday in Melbourne.

Korda, 22, totaled 50 winners and converted 5 of 10 break points in the 7-6(7), 6-3, 7-6(4) victory at Rod Laver Arena.

"That was one of the most incredible matches I've played in my career," Korda told reporters. "I stuck with the game plan and kept going after it."

Korda, the son of 1998 Australian Open champion Petr Korda, has never advanced past the fourth round of the major. The No. 29 seed will meet No. 10 Hubert Hurkacz of Poland in the Round of 16.

"I was always told how good of a tennis player I can be," Korda said. "Now, just getting the right people around me, building a really solid team and just trusting the process and trying to do the right things, have fun and enjoy it."

Fellow American Mackenzie McDonald logged the biggest upset of the tournament, with a straight-sets victory over No. 1 Rafael Nadal of Spain in the second round Wednesday in Melbourne. McDonald lost his third-round match.

Jenson Brooksby also knocked out No. 2 Casper Ruud of Norway on Thursday in another American upset. American Michael Mmoh also upset No. 12 Alexander Zverev of Germany in the second round.

Brooksby, Mmoh, Korda, J.J. Wolf, Ben Shelton and Tommy Paul are the six American men still active in the singles circuit.

No. 8 Taylor Fritz, the top-seeded American in Australia, was eliminated in the second round. No. 12 Frances Tiafoe of the United States lost his third-round match Friday to No. 18 Karen Khachanov of Russia.

Wolf will face Mmoh in the third round. Paul will face Brooksby Saturday in Melbourne.

No. 3 Jessica Pegula and No. 7 Cori "Coco" Gauff, top American women at the tournament, advanced to the fourth round. No. 10 Madison Keys and No. 13 Danielle Collins were among the Americans eliminated in the third round.

Third-round coverage will resume at 7 p.m. EST Friday on ESPN+ and ESPN3. Additional coverage will start at 9 p.m. Friday on ESPN2. Weekend coverage also will air at 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday on the same platforms.