The Daily Observer London Desk: Reporter- Judith Benjamin
American rising star Sebastian Korda has reached the first Grand Slam quarter-final of his fledgling career after battling through a five-set thriller to beat Poland’s No 10 seed Hubert Herkacz at the Australian Open.
The 22-year-old, from Florida, went into the match as a big underdog but found himself two sets to one up and in with a brilliant chance of sealing a victory.
He lost the fourth set 6-1 and then looked on his way to a heartbreaking defeat after losing the momentum, but a topsy-turvy clash eventually ended in his favor after a grueling tie-break in the deciding set.
Sebastian Korda of the U.S. celebrates after defeating Hubert Hurkacz of Poland
The young American showed raw emotion after winning a fifth-set tiebreak in Melbourne
It was a heartbreaking defeat for Hurkacz, who won the third and fourth sets to force a fifth
