Korda against Auger-Aliassime, Monfils against Bergs

On the last day of competition before the Australian Open, the finals will take place in Adelaide and Auckland. Sebastian Korda and Felix Auger-Aliassime meet in the former, while Gael Monfils faces Zizou Bergs in the latter.

Adelaide International: (5) Felix Auger-Aliassime vs. (2) Sebastian Korda

Korda and Auger-Aliassime will face each other for the fourth time in their careers on Saturday when they fight for the title in Adelaide. Auger-Aliassime leads the head-to-head series 2-1, including 2-0 on hard courts (1-0 outdoor and 1-0 indoor). The Canadian prevailed 6-3, 6-4 in Acapulco four years ago and by exactly the same score in the 2022 Antwerp final, while Korda’s only win came by a 6-2, 6-2 decision on the red clay of Estoril came about in 2022.

Both players want to improve on their disappointing finals records. Korda is 2-6; Auger Aliassime is 5-10. One of those setbacks for Korda came in Adelaide two years ago, but there is no shame in this result. The American had one championship point against Novak Djokovic before ultimately losing 6-7 (8), 7-6 (4), 6-4. Korda should be ready to go a step further this time. It was a routine week for the world number 22, who received a bye in the first round and was released by Thanasi Kokkinakis in the quarter-finals. He also couldn’t break once against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Miomir Kecmanovic. Auger-Aliassime survived two three-setters while ousting Arthur Cazaux, Marcos Giron and Tommy Paul. Even against Paul, the No. 5 was plagued by wild inconsistencies that will spell trouble against a rock-solid player like Korda.

Selection: Korda in 3

ASB Classic: (Q) Zizou Bergs vs. Gael Monfils

Monfils will play his 35th ATP final in Auckland on Saturday; Bergs is playing in his first. The experience advantage obviously goes to Monfils, but that may not be the deciding factor. After all, most of the 38-year-old Frenchman’s finals history has not been good – he has played in championship games for 12 to 22 years.

Although Monfils played well this week, as usual he didn’t seem to be at 100 percent physically. Asking him to string together five impressive games in a row is a tall order for the veteran, who advanced with wins over Pedro Martinez (6-1, 5-2), Jan-Lennard Struff, Facundo Diaz Acosta and Nishesh Basavareddy. Bergs was the best player all week. After a successful qualification, defeats against Isaac Becroft, Luca Nardi, Roberto Carballes Baena and Nuno Borges followed. The Belgian, ranked 66th, will play significantly more attack than Monfils and the fact that his opponent stays on defense could make the difference in what is likely to be a long, physical affair.

Selection: Bergs in 3