LONDON: Frances Tiafoe’s winning run on grass was ended by Sebastian Korda in an all-American second-round match at the Queen’s Club Championships on Wednesday.
Korda won 7-6 (2), 6-3 to end the fourth-seeded Tiafoe’s bid to follow up his title in Stuttgart last week with another grass-court trophy ahead of Wimbledon.
Tiafoe arrived in west London in a career-high spot of No. 10 but was beaten by a compatriot 22 places lower in the rankings, with Korda’s big serve coming to the fore on Center Court.
That was especially the case when serving for the match as the 22-year-old Korda sent down three aces — including one on match point — to get past the second round of a tournament for the first time since reaching the Australian Open quarterfinals in January.
Korda sustained a wrist injury in the last eight in Melbourne and had around three months out. Since returning, he has played three events — all on clay — and exited in the second round each time.
The first-set tiebreaker proved key and was dominated by Korda, mostly because of Tiafoe’s errors. Tiafoe slipped to fall 3-1 down and dropped a second straight point on serve by sending a backhand volley into the net for 4-1. Then he double-faulted to go 6-2 down and hit a forehand long on Korda’s first set point.
Korda will next play British No. 1 and fifth-seeded Cameron Norrie, who rallied to beat Jordan Thompson of Australia 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.
Holger Rune of Denmark is warming to grass, picking up his second straight win on the surface by dispatching Britain’s Ryan Peniston 6-3, 6-4.
The second-seeded Rune had never won on grass as a professional before this week, having lost in the first round three times last year — including at Wimbledon.
Sixth-seeded Lorenzo Musetti of Italy was a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 winner over Ben Shelton, another Australian Open quarterfinalist and the 2022 NCAA champion from Florida.
Musetti and Rune will meet in the quarterfinals.
Top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz is in second-round action on Thursday.
