{"id":1163582,"date":"2026-02-23T01:36:52","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T06:36:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/sports\/?p=1163582"},"modified":"2026-02-23T01:36:52","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T06:36:52","slug":"sebastian-korda-defeats-tommy-paul-for-delray-beach-open-championship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/sports\/sebastian-korda-defeats-tommy-paul-for-delray-beach-open-championship\/","title":{"rendered":"Sebastian Korda defeats Tommy Paul for Delray Beach Open championship"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

DELRAY BEACH \u2014 Tommy Paul<\/a> had his \u201cFounding Fathers\u2019 fan club. Sebastian Korda<\/a> had Florida Panthers superstar Aleksander Barkov.<\/a><\/p>\n

Score one for hockey in an All-American Delray Beach Open fina<\/a>l as Korda topped Paul, 6-4, 6-3 before 4,774 fans on Feb. 22\u00a0at the Delray Beach Tennis Center.<\/p>\n

Korda, who grew up in Bradenton as son of tour great Petr, won his first Delray Beach Open title and flopped onto his back after winning match point in an epic game in which he trailed love-40 on his serve.<\/p>\n

Entering the tournament unseeded and his ranking falling to 50 after a tough start to 2026, Korda, 25, was the better man in windswept conditions. He\u2019s the sixth unseeded player to win the 34-year event.<\/p>\n

More Delray Beach: <\/strong>Delray Beach Open becomes citywide festival with food, downtown events<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s amazing, especially with how everything was going on,\u2019\u2019 Korda said. \u201cCrazy wind. Last game was love-40 down and somehow I came back and got some good serves in, trusted it and went after it. It\u2018s as satisfying as it can get winning a tournament when love-40 down. A lot of hard work mentally.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Barkov was in Korda\u2019s player\u2019s box. Of Czech Republic heritage, Korda played hockey until he was 11 and befriended Barkov, who is Swiss, when he first played Delray in 2021.<\/p>\n

\u201c(Barkov) watches more tennis than anyone on planet Earth,\u2019\u2019 Korda said after winning the ATP 250 event in one hour, 22 minutes. \u201c\u201cHe\u2019ll watch everything.\u00a0\u00a0He was here every single match and all my practices. He texts me all the time. I got to know him in 2021 when I played here. He\u2019s been a great friend of mine. I want to get on the ice with him.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Paul, who lives in Boca Raton, still can\u2019t find the whole answer at Delray as he has failed to win the tournament in six tries. But this was one was special, made so by \u201cThe Founding Fathers\u2019\u2019 \u2013 a group of three high school seniors from Donna Klein High in Boca Raton. Matthew, Alex, Chad cheered, chanted and sang during all of Paul\u2019s matches.<\/p>\n

The threesome led the rest of the crowd into a Paul chorus often \u2013 the one ditty heard aplenty (\u201cYou say Tommy, I say Paul. Tommy \u2026 Paul. Tommy \u2026 Paul\u201d).<\/p>\n

During the trophy presentation, Paul saluted the trio, who dress in Colonial-Era garb.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey came out to every match no matter what and brought the energy,\u2019\u2019 said Paul, who was seeded 4th<\/p>\n

Two years ago, Paul, 28,\u00a0\u00a0lost in the Delray final to his buddy Taylor Fritz. Paul looked more lost Sunday in the wind, often showing frustration when one of his lobs would sail many yards out due to a sudden current. When he got broken at 4-5 to give Korda the first set, the winds had picked up noticeably during that game. Bad timing.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe handled the conditions better today and deserved to win,\u2019\u2019 Paul said. \u201dI\u2019m pissed off for sure.\u00a0\u00a0I didn\u2019t want that (second-place) trophy again. I thought I was playing really good tennis up to this last mach. I didn\u2019t think I played great but started getting momentum late. He served his way out of trouble down love-40.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

At that juncture, with nerves of steel, Korda pounded in a couple of aces, Paul flubbed one easy forehand off his frame and cracked a few others long. In general,\u00a0\u00a0Korda guided the ball precisely into play with more finesse amid the South Florida gusts.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe secret is growing up in Florida,\u2019\u2019 said Korda, whose father rose to No. 2 in the world. “This is where I\u2019ve played in my whole life \u2013 super windy. My dad said growing up to just put the ball in the court somehow. It doesn\u2019t matter if it\u2019s a slice or ugliest shot in the world. As long as it goes to the other side of the island, it\u2019s all that matters.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Korda, who upset No. 2 seed Casper Ruud in the quarterfinals, fell behind a break to start the second set. Paul pounced on Korda, breaking him immediately after winning a 30-shot rally with a crosscourt forehand winner.<\/p>\n

But Korda broke right back and did so again for a 3-1 lead. The Bradenton resident got up 4-1 and withheld Paul\u2019s furious rally in the last game that could\u2019ve put the second set on serve.<\/p>\n

Asked if he was ticked off at himself or the wind, Paul said, \u201cI can\u2019t be pissed at Mother Nature.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Paul had beaten upstart American Learner Tien in the Feb. 21 semifinals \u2013 a player that some feel has the tennis smarts to make it big with his lefty forehand.<\/p>\n

\u201cTien\u2019s amazing,\u2019\u2019 Paul said. \u201cThis younger generation of Americans, they don\u2019t fear anything or us at all. It\u2019s a great thing for them. Annoying for us. They came out ready to beat us everytime. They\u2019re serious players.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Korda hadn\u2019t won an ATP event since the 2024 Washington D.C. tournament that is a tuneup for the U.S. Open. Korda lost in the finals here in 2021. \u201cMy confidence is definitely going up,\u2019\u2019 Korda said. \u201cIt\u2019s about being consistent. Years past, I haven\u2019t been very consistent.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Said Paul, \u201cHe\u2019s dealt with a lot of injuries and setbacks. It\u2019s good to see him at this level.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Delray Beach Open future uncertain<\/h2>\n

This could be the second-to-last Delray tournament if things shake out a certain way.<\/p>\n

\u00a0An ATP official last month said the goal is to downsize the 250-point ATP events with an eye on shortening the schedule. There are three 250-point ATP events in the United States – Delray Beach and ones in Houston (indoor clay court before the European clay court season in spring) and Winston Salem, N.C.<\/p>\n

The Delray Open drew 59,366 fans this week. With a swarm of players living in South Florida, it is tough to see Delray Beach getting the axe.<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Delray Beach Open goes to unseeded Sebastian Korda over Tommy Paul<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u200bhttps:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/articles\/sebastian-korda-defeats-tommy-paul-013652998.html<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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