Damien Kayat previews Holger Rune vs Lorenzo Musetti and Cameron Norrie vs Seb Korda in selected Quarter-final matches of the Cinch Championships, on the 23rd of June 2023.
2023 ATP Tour
ATP 500
Cinch Championships
Selected Quarterfinals – 23rd June
Holger Rune 1/2 | Lorenzo Musetti 11/8
Holger Rune continues to dispel the rumor that he’s merely another clay-court specialist. He showed his hardcourt nous towards the end of last season (memorably taking down Djokovic in the Paris Masters final).
He is fresh off a typically brilliant clay-court campaign. He won the title in Munich and reached Masters 1000 finals in Monte-Carlo and Rome. He is fresh off a quarterfinal run at Roland Garros and the sky is the limit for this Danish sensation.
The 20-year-old came to the Queen’s club with a 0-3 career record on grass. And he has now picked up back-to-back straight-sets wins against Cressy and Peniston. He has a deceptively powerful serve and he hits it well off both wings.
And he is one of the most athletic players in men’s tennis. His victory over Brit surprise package Peniston took his 2023 record to 32-11.
Former NextGen star Lorenzo Musetti is slowly starting to impress himself upon the tour proper. The 21-year-old Italian won his first two titles last year and he is fresh off a highly encouraging clay-court campaign.
This will actually be his 6th quarterfinal appearance in what is developing into a very consistent season. And I am becoming more and more convinced that he could emulate the grass-court achievements of compatriot Matteo Berrettini.
He looked great in Stuttgart before succumbing to eventual champion Tiafoe in three sets. And he has just survived a serving barrage from American Blake Shelton to reach his 2nd consecutive grass-court quarterfinal.
He is 4-1 on grass this season and is starting to look very adept on these idiosyncratic surfaces. His forehand has improved dramatically, and his serve is a really efficient tool.
Verdict: Rune to win in three sets at 5/2
This will be their first career meeting. I really think Musetti is going to give the Dane issues. The Italian is a great server and he will look to keep points short and sweet. But I just think that Rune will ultimately grind down the Italian.
Cameron Norrie 77/100 | Seb Korda 10/11
This should be a fascinating contrast of styles between two Wimbledon dark-horse candidates. Cameron Norrie saw off Kecmanovic in his opening tie before a bruising comeback win against pugnacious Aussie Jordan Thompson. That victory over Thompson took his 2023 record to a highly respectable 31-11.
The Rio Open champ has every reason to be confident this week. He reached the final here in 2021 and reached his maiden Grand Slam semi-final at last year’s Wimbledon Championships.
The Brit has really turned into one of the most dependable all-court players around. He doesn’t look like an ideal candidate for grass. He has a decent serve but neither of his groundstrokes are megawatt weapons. But his superior movement allows him to reach balls on these surfaces that others simply can’t.
He also mixes it up with the old serve-and-volley. He is also able to get the ball to die on opponents with his use of slice.
With just one title to his name, I think it’s fair to call 22-year-old American Seb Korda a bit of an underachiever. Born into a family stockpiled with sporting talent, Korda rose to prominence with a 4th round run at the 2020 French Open.
He matched that performance with an excellent 4th round run at the 2021 Wimbledon Championships. He lit up this year’s Aussie Open with his maiden quarterfinal run. It was a brilliant display that saw him register victories over Danil Medvedev and Hubert Hurkacz.
He was forced to withdraw from the quarterfinals due to a right wrist injury. And that injury has curtailed much of his 2023 season. He returned to action on clay and he is looking formidable in Queens, beating Dan Evans and Stuttgart champ Tiafoe in straight-sets.
And it’s easy to see why he would be a perfect fit for grass-court success. Unlike Norrie, Korda fits into the mould of a traditional grass-court titan. He is tall and possesses a monstrous first-serve. And he moves pretty well for a guy his height.
Verdict: Korda to win in straight-sets at 85/40
Korda leads Norrie 2-1 in their head-to-head rivalry. Though Norrie won their last match at last year’s Delray Beach event. Korda looked imperious against Tiafoe and I think he could overpower the plucky Norrie. He’s a more conventional grass-court operator and he really looks physically ready for this iconic period of the season.
