Sebastian Korda reaches Paris Masters main draw, sets Round-of-64 clash with Lorenzo Sonego

Sebastian Korda has punched his ticket to the Rolex Paris Masters main draw after navigating qualifying and now opens against Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego on Monday, October 27. It’s a timely chance for the American to cap a stop-start season with a statement at the final ATP Masters 1000 of the year, and the matchup offers a clear barometer of where his indoor game stands heading into November.

Sebastian Korda’s Paris Masters path: qualifying surge and quick turnaround

Korda earned his place with two solid wins in qualifying over Vit Kopřiva (straight sets) and France’s Valentin Royer in a three-set decider. The latter demanded late composure—Korda was pushed into a deciding set before resetting the tempo behind his first serve and forehand patterns. Less than 24 hours later, he turns around for the Sonego test, a rhythm Korda has handled well before when his first-strike tennis clicks indoors.

Recent weeks show a mixed but upward-leaning form line. He reached the quarterfinals in Stockholm, then fell early in Basel to Ugo Humbert—an elite indoor opponent—before stabilizing again in Paris qualifying. The arc suggests sharper timing off the backhand wing and improved point construction behind his serve, both crucial on the Bercy hard courts.

Sebastian Korda vs Lorenzo Sonego: what to expect

Sonego brings a heavy serve and a willingness to step inside the baseline on second-serve returns. He thrives when he turns rallies into first-ball exchanges and isn’t shy about serve-and-forehand combinations. Korda, by contrast, prefers to build with a lower-risk backhand up the line to open forehand space and has been increasingly comfortable finishing at net when the short ball presents itself.

Key battlegrounds:

• Second-serve pressure: Korda’s kick serve into Sonego’s backhand can blunt the Italian’s return aggression; conversely, Sonego’s spots out wide on the deuce court can drag Korda off the court and expose the forehand corner.

• Backhand exchanges: Korda’s flatter backhand can take time away indoors; if Sonego is forced into neutral cross-court patterns, Korda’s down-the-line changeup becomes a lever.

• Transition tennis: The player who claims more +1 forehand looks and finishes cleanly at net should control scoreboard pressure.

Schedule, venue and viewing notes

The match is slated for Monday on Court 3 in Paris in the Round of 64 (main draw). Local scheduling lists it for the evening session in Paris; times are subject to change. As a guide for readers: Paris local time is CET, the UK is on GMT, and North America remains on ET; check local listings on match day for the exact start.

Form guide: Sebastian Korda, indoors in late October

Korda’s 2025 indoor body of work features:

• Stockholm: Quarterfinal run with a high first-serve points-won clip and effective first-ball aggression.

• Basel: First-round exit to an in-form opponent; struggled to convert early break chances.

• Paris qualifying: Two wins in two days, highlighted by improved first-serve percentage and a cleaner winners-to-errors balance in key moments.

For Sonego, the trend has been uneven overall in 2025, but he remains a dangerous draw indoors due to his point-starting weapons and confident forehand finishing when he gets scoreboard traction.

Head-to-head notes and strategic levers

This is a stylistically balanced pairing: both own top-tier first serves, both are proactive on return against second balls, and both can shorten rallies without over-hitting when dialed in. Margins likely come down to:

• Who protects second serve better.

• Who lands more backhand depth to avoid being pinned into forehand defense.

• Who manages tight scorelines—particularly late in sets where Sonego’s crowd-energy spikes and Korda’s calm court presence often shines.

If Korda establishes early rhythm on serve and threads a few backhand down-the-line winners to freeze Sonego, the American can tilt the match into his preferred cadence. If Sonego scores early mini-breaks in tiebreaks or nicks a mid-set break with return aggression, Korda will need to counter with targeted body serves and first-ball redirects.

What a win would mean for Sebastian Korda

A victory pushes Korda into the Round of 32 and reinforces the late-season progress he’s been building since returning to full match fitness. It would also add valuable ranking points ahead of the final week(s) of the calendar, improve his year-end seeding prospects, and validate the indoor adjustments that surfaced in Stockholm and again through qualifying in Paris.

Sebastian Korda enters the Paris Masters with match reps, a live forehand, and enough confidence to take the ball early. If he keeps the second-serve return points in check and finds his backhand change-up, he has a meaningful opening to move past Lorenzo Sonego and extend his Bercy campaign.