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American youngster Sebastian Korda has advanced to the third round of the Australian Open in one of the most competitive and bizarre matches of the tournament yet.
Virtually nothing separated Korda and Frenchman Corentin Moutet as they squared off in the second round of the Melbourne Park event, but it was Korda who eventually prevailed in a fifth-set tie-break.
The world No.43 won the deciding tie-break 10-6 to close out a 3-6 6-4 6-7 (2-7) 7-5 7-6 (10-6) victory over Moutet.
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Korda’s opponent must be ruing a baffling moment that occurred just before the fifth-set tie-break began, which saw Moutet snap a selfie with a fan.
Moutet’s decision to grab a selfie during the match, and particularly at such a critical point in the clash, left Patrick Mouratoglou, the coach of US tennis legend Serena Williams, staggered.
“Moutet making a selfie with a spectator before starting his fifth-set super tie-break!” Mouratoglou wrote on Twitter.
The match also played host to relentless chanting from US fans, resulting in Moutet throwing his racquet and shouting at the crowd to shut up, as well as one of the most extraordinary winners ever seen at the Melbourne major.
When Korda led 4-3 in the final set, Moutet thought he’d sent a forehand beyond the baseline and stopped playing, only for the ball to be ruled in.
Korda lobbed back a soft return and it caught Moutet by surprise, leaving him trailing 30-0 as the chair umpire explained the misjudgment.
Moutet perplexed by bizarre winner
One of the highlights of the match came shortly after, when Korda won a point in an epic 27-shot rally to take a 7-5 buffer in the final set.
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“Helluva point,” wrote tennis journalist Alex Gruskin on Twitter.
Sports journalist Jasper Chellapah labelled the match “superbly bizarre” and “a ripping five-setter”.
Korda prevails in astonishing fifth-set rally
Korda emulated his dad Petr’s famous ‘scissor-kick’ celebration after the hard-fought win.
The 21-year-old will meet Spanish world No.21 Pablo Carreno Busta in the third round.
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