Citi Open 2022: Sebastian Korda vs. Sebastian Baez Tennis Pick and Prediction

TennisSection previews the 2022 Citi Open as Sebastian Baez takes on Sebastian Korda in the second round on Wednesday, August 2nd, 2022.

Will Sebastian Korda use home court advantage to knock out the high-flying Sebastian Baez? The American should be heavily favored to get the win in this clash as he aims to record his third win at the Citi Open.

Sebastian Baez is seeded at the ATP 500 event in Washington this week, which is testament of his hard work and effort he has put in throughout the year. Baez sits at a career-high ranking of No. 31, about 15 spots below the current Argentina’s No. 1 Diego Schwartzman and six spots below the other fast-improving countryman Francisco Cerundolo. Baez has not played a hard court match since losing in the first round of Miami Open. While he does have a phenomenal record on clay, he has struggled to replicate that success on fast hard courts. Could that be the case when he takes on fellow Next Gen star Sebastian Korda?

Sebastian Korda’s comeback is in full swing. The towering American snapped his three-match losing streak when he defeated the dangerous Ilya Ivashka in two tight sets. Korda had been out of action for the best part of a month after losing in the first round of Eastbourne to John Millman last month. A nagging foot injury saw him forfeit his place at Wimbledon and was well below the required fitness levels in Atlanta this past week where he lost to Taro Daniel in three sets. But at the Citi Open, the Florida native returned to winning ways, hammering 10 aces and breaking Ivashka twice to race to victory.

Sebastian Korda leads Sebastian Baez 1-0 in their head-to-head. That meeting famously took place at the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan last November. Korda was on the cusp of something special this season, but for injuries. But the American is hopinghis bad days are behind him and there is no better place to find his feet than on home soil where Korda is expected to be a serious threat as a lower-ranked player in the next few weeks. Baez’s record on hard courts is uninspiring and I will be amazed if he makes such a quick turnaround.