The last Tricolore in the running during the qualifications for the Rolex Paris Masters, Valentin Royer failed to join the main draw after a defeat in three rounds against Sebastian Korda.
There will only be eight French representatives in the Rolex Paris Masters field. Indeed, none of the seven tickets to be taken during qualifying will be obtained by a Habs after the failure of Valentin Royer in the last round. Winner of Pierre-Hugues Herbert this Saturday, the native of Neuilly-sur-Seine saw his hopes of participating in the Masters 1000 now organized at the Paris La Défense Arena evaporate against Sebastian Korda, seeded number 2.
A meeting that the American got off to a flying start, taking the Frenchman’s serve twice to quickly lead three games to nothing. If the 69th player in the world reacted by immediately erasing one of his two late breaks, the step had become too high. The son of former Czech player Petr Korda found the means to widen the gap again by taking the Habs’ serve before serving to win the first set in five games to two.
A final win with a blank win then allowed him to take the lead in this meeting. On his momentum, the 56th player in the world kept Valentin Royer’s lead underwater with a break from the start of the second set. Sebastian Korda came close to amplifying this advantage but saw Valentin Royer resist.
Royer ended up giving in
Which resulted in three double break points saved to stay in contact with his opponent. A combativeness that the Ile-de-France native was once again able to demonstrate when the American had three new opportunities to fly onto the scoreboard in the often crucial seventh game. It was then that Sebastian Korda had a real breathing gap allowing Valentin Royer to restart. Winning four games in a row, he reignited the suspense with the one-set equalizer coming on a white break.
An alert that the number 2 seed in these qualifications has clearly heard. In fact, he took the Frenchman’s service very early in the last round in order to take the lead. Maintaining the pressure on his opponent, Sebastian Korda, however, lacked sharpness on the five or so double break points that dotted the set. The 56th player in the world then had two first chances to seal the fate of the match on the serve of Valentin Royer. However, the latter was able to brush them aside and insist on keeping his commitment, forcing the American to serve to validate his ticket for the main draw. What he was able to do in a final authoritarian shutout (6-2, 5-7, 6-4 in 2h20′). Sebastian Korda will thus have a new opportunity to distinguish himself during a Masters 1000, having reached the quarter-finals at the start of the season in Miami.
