American young gun Sebastian Korda stunned former world No.1 Daniil Medvedev 7-6(7) 6-3 7-6(4) in a thrilling contest to evict the losing finalist of the last two years from the Australian Open in the third round.
The 22-year-old took the game to the Russian seventh seed from the start on Rod Laver Arena, firing winners from both sides, mixing it up with some serve-volley and lofting a few delightful drop shots.
The 29th seed, son of 1998 Australian Open champion Petr, prevailed in a thrilling tiebreak to win an 85-minute opening set and needed only one break to seal the second.
It was only at a break down in the third that 2021 US Open champion Medvedev showed the quality that took him to the top of the world rankings but Korda would not be denied and again won the tiebreak to set up a meeting with 10th seed Hubert Hurkacz.
Meanwhile, third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas made short work of Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor, winning 6-2 7-6(5) 6-3 to reach the fourth round.
Playing in glorious sunshine after two days marked by wild swings in the weather, the highest-seeded man in the draw after the premature exits of holder Rafael Nadal and Casper Ruud played near-flawless tennis to the delight of Greek fans in the Rod Laver Arena.
Roared on by Greek fans, many of them from Melbourne, which has the largest population of Greek speakers outside Greece and Cyprus, Tsitsipas eased through the next set without any drama to set up a clash with 21-year-old Italian Jannik Sinner.
Reuters
