First-time team Korda/Thompson keeps cool for Madrid final spot

Will a scratch pairing of singles stars lift the doubles trophy at the Mutua Madrid Open?

Sebastian Korda and Jordan Thompson’s dream run at the clay-court ATP Masters 1000 continued Friday with a tense 3-6, 6-3, 10-8 semi-final victory against Jamie Murray and Michael Venus. Competing in their first tour-level event together, Korda and Thompson reacted well to dropping their first set of the week in the Spanish capital, where they rallied past the 11th seeds in 75 minutes.

Sebi strikes 🔥@SebiKorda and @jordanthommmo2 power into the doubles final 3-6, 6-3, [10-8]@MutuaMadridOpen | #MMOPEN pic.twitter.com/0CxhQzB4lh

— ATP Tour (@atptour) May 3, 2024

A year ago, Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev, two other players better known for their singles prowess, lifted the doubles trophy in Madrid. Korda and Thompson will on Saturday play for the trophy after entering the draw using a spot reserved for singles players, part of a new trial format being used this week in Madrid. They have beaten a seeded team made up of doubles specialists in all four of their matches so far, including top seeds Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden in the first round.

Their championship-match opponents at the Caja Magica will be another pair of established doubles regulars in Ariel Behar and Adam Pavlasek. The Uruguayan-Czech team advanced to their maiden Masters 1000 final after Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos withdrew prior to their semi-final clash due to a Zeballos leg injury. Despite their withdrawal, Granollers and Zeballos will on Monday become joint World No. 1s in the individual PIF ATP Doubles Rankings for the first time in their careers.

In a first set dominated by serve, Murray and Venus clinched the only break in the fourth game. The British-Kiwi duo then held a break point in the opening game of the second set, but they were unable to convert and soon found themselves in a Match tie-break as Korda and Thompson grew into the occasion inside Manolo Santana Stadium.

Korda and Thompson stood three points from victory at 7/4, but the duo still had to hold off a late comeback from their opponents. From 7/7, Korda and the five-time tour-level doubles champion Thompson kept their nerve to seal a hard-earned win.

A strong serving performance was the foundation for Korda and Thompson’s comeback triumph. The American-Australian duo won 86 per cent (31/36) of points behind first serve, according to Infosys ATP Stats.