Sebastian Korda won an ATP Masters 1000 trophy, but it was not in singles, as he and Jordan Thompson beat Ariel Behar and Adam Pavlasek in the 2024 Madrid Open final.
This wasn't the doubles final many expected to come because Korda and Thompson are not known for their doubles tennis. The Australian plays it regularly and does pretty well, but the chemistry they showed this week was unexpected.
Behar and Pavlasek have far more experience in doubles, and they were heavy underdogs in this final match, and for good reason. There are a couple of things that make Thompson and Korda a good match on the doubles court.
The American is tall, which helps in doubles, especially with serve and net game. He also has a really strong serve and can hit some amazing angles. Thompson is a decent all-arounder, as he doesn't really lack anywhere.
That makes them a very complimentary pairing, and they showed it in this match, after Korda previously struggled with some injuries this season.
The first set was a 6-3 win for the American-Australian combo as they outplayed their opponents in crucial rallies. They faced four break points but saved all of them, only needing one to break their opponents.
The match was a bit tighter in the second set. Neither team was able to break even though there were chances. Both teams dominated on the first serve and played well enough on the second.
Korda and Thompson once again had to save more break points (2 to 1), but they got it done. The set would be settled in a tie-break, which Behar and Pavalsek started by losing their serve.
Korda and Thompson then threw away two serves so their opponents could jump out to a 4-2 lead. Eventually, though, Korda and Thompson would find match points after saving a set point before that.
On the theme for the match, they were able to use it and finish it off. The final score was 6-3, 7-6(7) for Korda and Thompson, which marked the biggest trophy of the American's career, yet in doubles.
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