Preview: ‘Idol’ Nadal Ready For Korda Clash

When Rafael Nadal returns to Court Philippe-Chatrier on Sunday, the 12-time Roland Garros champion will have a major advantage over his opponent: experience.

Entering the tournament, Nadal owned a 992-201 tour-level record. His fourth-round opponent #NextGenATP American Sebastian Korda’s mark? 0-3. In fact, Korda had never played a tour-level match on clay prior to this event.

Nadal will be aiming to reach his 14th quarter-final in Paris when he meets Korda. The Spaniard has been in top form throughout his opening three matches at Stade Roland Garros, dropping a combined 19 games to move past Egor Gerasimov, Mackenzie McDonald and Stefano Travaglia.

Nadal is aware of the unique situation he will find himself in on Sunday, as he continues his quest for a record-equalling 20th Grand Slam crown. The Spaniard will be competing against a player who considers him to be his idol, a feeling Nadal can relate to from his early experiences on the ATP Tour. The 19-time Grand Slam champion handled the pressure of playing his childhood inspirations well, winning his first ATP Head2Head clashes against Carlos Moya and Andre Agassi.

“[Being Korda’s idol] means that I have been on the TV for such a long time, that's the main thing,” said Nadal. “The same like when I was a kid, I was watching Sampras, Agassi, Carlos Moya… I know he's playing great. He's a very young kid with a lot of power. I think he has an amazing future - hopefully not yet.”

Despite his lack of experience, Korda is already making his mark in Paris. The 20-year-old, son of 1992 runner-up Petr Korda, became the first qualifier to reach the Roland Garros fourth round since 2011 with a straight-sets win against Pedro Martinez on Friday.

Following his sixth win from qualifying, Korda admitted that he was ‘praying’ for Nadal to make it through his third-round clash against Stefano Travaglia. When he steps onto court on Sunday, not only will he be playing one of his biggest inspirations, but he will also be attempting to be beat the man he named his cat after.

“I named my cat Rafa after him,” said Korda. “That says a lot about how much I love the guy.”

The winner of Nadal and Korda’s meeting will face World No. 7 Alexander Zverev or reigning Next Gen ATP Finals champion Jannik Sinner for a semi-final spot. Zverev enters his first ATP Head2Head clash against the 19-year-old aiming to reach his third straight Roland Garros quarter-final.

Zverev has enjoyed a successful year at Grand Slam events, achieving his best results at both the Australian Open and US Open. The German reached the semi-finals in Melbourne and advanced to his maiden Grand Slam final in New York. On both occasions, his runs were ended by World No. 3 Dominic Thiem.

Sinner will aim to continue his strong run in Paris. The 6’2” right-hander is yet to drop a set in the French capital, having recorded straight-sets wins against 11th seed David Goffin, Benjamin Bonzi and Federico Coria.

“[Sinner] is playing incredible. I don’t think he lost a set yet, so he is somebody that is definitely coming up and playing really well right now,” said Zverev. “[He is] somebody who has a lot of power. We will see how the match goes, but I feel like I am playing better and maybe I have a little more experience. But the young guys, they have no fear, no reason to be nervous, so it can go both ways.”

US Open champion Thiem will aim to reach the quarter-finals in Paris for the fifth straight year when he meets #NextGenATP Frenchman Hugo Gaston in the final match on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

Thiem, who owns a 4-0 record in fourth-round matches at this event, has been in top form throughout his opening three matches at the clay-court Grand Slam championship. The Austrian has claimed straight-sets victories against Marin Cilic, former World No. 8 Jack Sock and Casper Ruud, who owns the most tour-level wins on clay this year (17).

Gaston will need to complete a second consecutive shock victory if he is to reach his first Grand Slam quarter-final. The World No. 239 stunned 2015 champion Stan Wawrinka 2-6, 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-0 on Friday.

“I'm very happy to play against Dominic,” said Gaston. “He's a fantastic player. A great fighter. It's a tough match for sure, but I [will] try to take pleasure [from my time on the] court and we will see.”

Diego Schwartzman will face Lorenzo Sonego for the first time on Court Suzanne-Lenglen. The Argentine will look to continue his fine form when he faces the Italian, following an impressive run through his opening three matches.

Schwartzman has continued to play at the level that helped him reach his first ATP Masters 1000 final at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia last month. The 2018 quarter-finalist has clinched straight-sets wins against Generali Open champion Miomir Kecmanovic, Lorenzo Giustino and Norbert Gombos in Paris.

Sonego is competing in the Round of 16 at a Grand Slam for the first time. Prior to this event, the 25-year-old had never advanced beyond the second round at a major championship. Sonego survived a five-set battle against Emilio Gomez in his opening match, before earning straight-sets wins against Alexander Bublik and Taylor Fritz.

ORDER OF PLAY – SUNDAY 4 OCTOBER 2020
COURT PHILIPPE-CHATRIER start 11:00 am
WTA Match
Sebastian Korda v [2] Rafael Nadal
WTA Match
Hugo Gaston v [3] Dominic Thiem

 

COURT SUZANNE-LENGLEN start 11:00 am
WTA Match
[6] Alexander Zverev v Jannik Sinner
Lorenzo Sonego v [12] Diego Schwartzman
[6] Pierre-Hugues Herbert/Nicolas Mahut v [9] Wesley Koolhof/Nikola Mektic

Click here to view the full Roland Garros Day 8 schedule.

from Tennis - ATP World Tour https://ift.tt/30t3eSA