American Sebastian Korda roared into the semifinals at the ATP Shanghai Masters by edging his compatriot Ben Shelton 6-7 (10), 6-2, 7-6 (6) on Thursday.
Sebastian Korda of the United States returns the ball during the men's singles quaterfinal between two Americans Ben Shelton and Sebastian Korda at the ATP World Tour Shanghai Masters tennis tournament at Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena in Shanghai, east China, Oct. 12, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Lili)
The match went like a roller coaster, lasting about three hours.
"It was a great match, super high level from both of us. Just very thrilled to get through that one, especially in a tricky tiebreaker," said Korda.
Born in a sporting family, Korda also mentioned the support he got from his family.
"My parents taught me: whatever happens, you just got to believe in yourself, go after it, and just enjoy the moment.
"It's still a super nervous moment, for sure, but in those moments you really do enjoy them, you just want to be on the victory side of things."
In the semis, Korda will meet Hubert Hurkacz of Poland, who rallied to beat Fabian Marozsan of Hungary 4-6, 6-1, 6-3.
"I mean, definitely really pleased with my performance. You know, we've been putting a lot of effort into the preparation here and, yeah, I mean, every single match has been really challenging and tricky. Fortunately, I was able to come through those challenges, and I'm looking forward to the next one, " said Hurkacz.
