Corinne Dubreuil/Open 13
Otto Virtanen upsets Sebastian Korda on Monday in Marseille.
By ATP Staff
Otto Virtanen scored the biggest of his career Monday at the Open 13 Provence in Marseille, where he rallied past fifth seed Sebastian Korda.
The 23-year-old produced a big-hitting performance to prevail 6-7(3), 7-6(4), 6-4 and advance to the second round on his debut at the indoor hard-court ATP 250. Virtanen, No. 98 in the PIF ATP Rankings, struck 46 winners and saved three break points in the final set to seal a two-hour, 30-minute victory.
“I couldn’t find rhythm in the first set, he was playing well and didn’t let me have space to play my relaxed tennis,” Virtanen said after his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head win against Korda. “In the second set, I started feeling the ball better, started getting used to the court and started playing much better. I tried to be focused on every serve, every point. I tried to return well and put pressure on those games. It worked out really well. The fans are amazing here, it’s nice to have a lot of people watching and cheering for you.”
Awesome Otto 🤩
— ATP Tour (@atptour) February 10, 2025
Virtanen chalks up his biggest win ever 6-7(3) 7-6(4) 6-4 to down [5] Korda!@Open13 | #O13Provence pic.twitter.com/27gMMfYaIr
Prior to Monday’s victory over the World No. 23 Korda, Virtanen held an 0-5 record against Top 30 players. The Finn was able to dig himself out of trouble with his booming serve, which was particularly evident in the second set. Virtanen let slip a 4-2 lead, but saved two break points at 4-4 to remain within touching distance.
Virtanen, who is up to a new career high of No. 90 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, will face either Luca Nardi or Daniel Altmaier in the second round.
Earlier, Hamad Medjedovic recorded his first ATP Tour win of 2025 by defeating Belgium’s Raphael Collignon 6-3, 6-4. The 21-year-old saved each of the five break points he faced, according to Infosys ATP Stats, en route to an 87-minute triumph. He will face third seed and 2018 champion Karen Khachanov.
Medjedovic, who triumphed at the 2023 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, began the year by clinching an ATP Challenger Tour title in Portugal, which propelled him inside the Top 100 for the first time in his career. The Serbian then stunned Holger Rune at the Davis Cup, where he improved to 2-1 in singles at the event.
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