Carlos Alcaraz vs Sebastian Korda

Friday, May 31, 2024

Carlos Alcaraz -1000 / Sebastian Korda +525 Click Here for the Latest Odds

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Third seed Carlos Alcaraz will play big-hitting American Sebastian Korda in the third round of the 2024 French Open. The match is scheduled for Friday, May 31, 2024. Here's our Carlos Alcaraz vs Sebastian Korda prediction.

Carlos Alcaraz vs Sebastian Korda Preview

Carlos Alcaraz dropped his first set at this year's French Open to the Dutch qualifier Jesper De Jong. But he overcame that third-set wobble and an early stumble in the fourth set to prevail 6-3, 6-4, 2-6, 6-2. The match took slightly over three hours. Alcaraz served well below his best level, winning just 64% of first-serve points and an even lower number behind his second delivery of 50%. But he did save seven of 12 break points, which is a measure of his outstanding defensive skillset. A big test awaits in the third round as he faces Sebastian Korda for the third time on clay.

Sebastian Korda is the 27th seed at Roland Garros. And like Alcaraz, he dropped his first set at this tournament in his second-round win over South Korea's Soonwoo Kwon. This is already an improvement by the American who came to Paris without winning back-to-back matches on clay in the lead-up to the French Open. But he played a solid match against Kwon, with his serve being the shining light. Korda tallied 13 aces during the match and saved six of 11 break points. The 23-year-old has made the second week at Roland Garros once, doing so in 2020 as a qualifier before losing to Rafael Nadal in the fourth round. Can he make it two on Friday night?

Carlos Alcaraz vs Sebastian Korda Head-To-Head

• Alcaraz leads Korda 3-1 in their head-to-head.

• On clay, the series is tied at 1-1. Korda defeated the Spaniard at the 2022 Monte-Carlo Masters, but Alcaraz got his revenge at the French Open that same season.

• Alcaraz is 7-3 on clay in 2024, while Korda is 5-4 on the same surface this season.

Carlos Alcaraz vs Sebastian Korda Prediction

There is no reason to sound the alarm, but Alcaraz looked in a bothersome spot against Jesper De Jong in the second round. But we can treat that third set as just a blip because he wrestled back control of the match shortly after that. Korda is hitting the ball so well, and his serve will be vital if he wants to spring an upset here. Alcaraz is a -1000 favorite on the ML, but there are question marks on how that forearm injury will respond when subjected to a more intense match like this one. We know the American's qualities with that easy power off the ground, so expect the third seed to painstakingly work for the victory.