Tommy Paul and Sebastian Korda will be squaring off for the fifth time in their careers when they clash in the Libema Open quarterfinals on Friday afternoon.
The two Americans have not faced each other since the summer of 2022, when Paul prevailed 6-0, 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 at the U.S. Open. That ended a three-match losing streak to Korda, who won all of their matchups in 2021 (three sets on the hard courts of Delray Beach and San Diego, straight sets on the red clay of Parma).
A relative late bloomer on tour, Paul has really improved his work ethic and entirely turned his game around since those setbacks against Korda. The 27-year-old has been outstanding over the past two seasons and is up to No. 13 in the world. His 2024 match record stands at 22-9 following a 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 victory over Alexei Popyrin in the ‘s-Hertogenbosch second round on Thursday.
Korda has mostly been stuck in neutral since he stormed onto the scene in 2020 and 2021. The 23-year-old comes in at 26th in the rankings and is 17-13 this season. He booked his spot in the ‘s-Hertogenbosch quarterfinals by beating Tristan Schoolkate 6-4, 7-6(4) and Luca Nardi 7-5, 7-5.
Although Korda is very good on grass, he has reached a semifinal on this surface just once in his career (lost to Carlos Alcaraz at Queen’s Club in 2023). Paul, whose game works well on every surface, was the runner-up in Eastbourne last summer. The No. 2 seed is simply the better all-around player right now and plays a lower-risk, higher-consistency kind of game compared to his compatriot that should serve him well in this one.
Pick: Paul in 2