Heartbreaking scenes as Sebastian Korda retires injured in his first Grand Slam quarter-final at Australian Open

ByDan Quarrell

Updated 24/01/2023 at 08:33 GMT

American rising star Sebastian Korda saw his dream Australian Open run come to a very sad end on Tuesday after he had to retire with a wrist injury against Karen Khachanov. It had been a quite stunning tournament for the 22-year-old from Florida as he reached the quarter-finals - the furthest he has progressed in a Grand Slam. Korda was heartbroken to leave the scene prematurely.

There were some heartbreaking scenes on Tuesday as Sebastian Korda was forced to retire with a wrist injury during his Australian Open quarter-final against Karen Khachanov.

The hugely impressive Khachanov secured his place in the semi-finals at Melbourne Park for the first time in his career after the American rising star was sadly forced to retire with a wrist injury that did not appear to be getting any better as the match progressed.

Khachanov was leading 7-6(5) 6-3 3-0 before Korda finally - and understandably reluctantly - made the decision to leave the court after exchanging numerous looks with Radek Stepanek up in his box.

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Korda appeared to sustain the nasty right wrist injury in the middle of the second set, and unfortunately, it effectively ended the contest, which had been very hotly-anticipated in advance and looked on course to be a strong match-up.

Eurosport commentators Adam Fielder and Arvind Parmar were left feeling very bad for the young American and empathising with his "dilemma" over whether to continue or not.

"Radek Stepanek is saying to him 'if it’s that bad, should you really stay out there?'

"You hate to see it. We were looking forward to that match so much. Certainly, on paper, it looked as if it was going to be really competitive, we just hope it’s nothing too serious.

"He obviously thought about continuing, he sat down initially in that change of ends at 3-0, just contemplated for a few seconds, but thought 'no this is silly'."

Korda's box watch on as his injury worsens against Khachanov at Australian Open

Parmar added: "You can understand his dilemma, it’s a massive match, it’s a quarter-final of a major. You don’t want to quit but you also don’t want to make that worse, you don’t want to be out for months.

"Seeing Korda walk off, that’s rough luck, that’s so disappointing for him. I just wonder if this was an issue coming onto the court. We didn’t see anything ‘go’ per se during the match, so it’s just maybe something that’s gotten worse and worse.

"He called the trainer, got the tape on, took a bit of medication as well we’ve been told, and it just didn’t get any better. Such a shame for him, such a great tournament as well, and for it to end this way, it's a huge disappointment for him.

"Khachanov will be delighted to get through to another semi-final. Not the way you want to get through, but at the end of the day, it’s another semi-final of a major and it’s just about getting through somehow. He was having to just keep his focus in that second set.

"I just hope Korda can make a full recovery and it’s not going to be a long-term thing for him."

'Wrist not a good injury' - Eurosport reaction to Korda retirement against Khachanov

Khachanov was rightly delighted having now reached back-to-back Grand Slam semi-finals following his exploits at the 2022 US Open. He will next play either Stefanos Tsitsipas or Jiri Lehecka in the last four.

"Back-to-back semi-finals in a Grand Slam, it feels great," Khachanov said in his on-court interview after the match.

"Not the way you want to finish the match. I think until a certain point it was very competitive. A very good battle. Sebastian beat one of my friends Daniil [Medvedev] and five sets against Hubert Hurkacz - he's been playing great tennis. Big applause to him.

"I'm feeling good, to be honest. Really happy about my level and the way I compete, and looking forward to the semi-finals here in Australia for the first time."

"I think I've kind of reinvented myself," he added. "I've always believed in myself, and when you get a great result it shows what you're capable of, and then you start to believe more and more.

"This belief and self-confidence I believe appear much stronger after the US Open. I hope to continue to grow as a person and a sportsman."

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Stream the 2023 Australian Open live on discovery+, the Eurosport app and at eurosport.co.uk

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