A tale of two clay-courters: Taylor Fritz, Sebastian Korda bring different experience to Rome

ROME, Italy—Taylor Fritz knows you’re making fun of him when you call him “Claylor.”

“I’m never going to be the best clay-court player, but the joke is obviously that everyone is expecting me to be awful on clay and not win a lot of matches on clay,” he laughed after reaching the third round of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.

Thing is, he is winning a lot on clay: after an opening-round exit in Monte Carlo, Fritz reached the final in Munich and the semis of the Mutua Madrid Open, a Masters 1000. Not bad for an American who never played on red clay until he was 16.

“Obviously, most guys have been playing on it since they were kids, so they’ve had double the time playing on it,” the 26-year-old told me on the Tennis Channel set, straight off a TV interview. “So naturally, it’s going to take time to figure it all out.

“I honestly feel like I’ve always enjoyed playing on red clay. I absolutely hate green clay, always have and always will,” he continued. “Part of my game have always suited it. I think my forehand is great for clay. I love the high ball and hitting a really spinny, heavy forehand and having time on it. I’ve gotten better at moving and at figuring out what things work for me on clay as opposed to what works on hard courts.”

His fifth main-draw appearance in Rome has been his best yet, the No. 11 seed overcoming one of those aforementioned veteran dirtballers in Fabio Fognini, 6-3, 6-4, to book a third-round clash with fellow American Sebastian Korda.

Like Fritz, Korda has needed time to find his footing at the Foro Italico; the No. 24 seed’s 7-6 (6), 4-6, 6-4 victory over Flavio Cobolli was the first time he had even won a set in two previous attempts. But the son of two Czech former pros gave his development a more European influence. Where the average American junior spends most of his time honing his craft on hard courts, Korda, from a young age, was embracing clay of every color.

“My parents had me playing on clay my whole life, basically until I was 15 years old,” he told Prakash Amritraj on the Tennis Channel Live Desk. “It’s long points, a lot of hard work on the red clay, but I’m excited to get down here, play some good tennis, and see where it takes me.”

Korda made his major breakthrough at Roland Garros as a teenager in 2020, and won his first ATP title on clay in Parma. But his most recent on-court success was arguably his least expected: a Masters 1000 doubles victory at the Caja Magica in Madrid, alongside fellow singles stalwart Jordan Thompson.

“We’ve been talking about it for the longest time,” Korda told me in a flatly succinct affect that has become his signature. “He lives in Bradenton, Florida. He has a house maybe five houses down from me, so we practice a ton. He’s a great person, so we said, ‘Why not?’”

More like ¿por qué no?: Korda and Thompson barreled through a draw largely comprised of doubles specialists, dropping one set to the biggest title of his career. But a few over-enthused Italian fans threatened to derail that momentum on Friday when Korda was alone on Grandstand Arena, taking on Cobolli for what became a nearly-three-hour epic.

“The crowd wasn’t very nice,” he said. “It was a lot of bad words about my family, my team, my girlfriend. It was a hostile environment, but it was a lot of fun.”

Korda silenced the crowd metaphorically and literally when he closed out Cobolli and turned towards the Grandstand crowd and made a gesture that mockingly encouraged them to keep chirping.

“I’ve played Gasquet at the French Open at night, so those two are probably up there, but it was a good battle,” he dryly insisted. “It was really just a few people because the rest of the crowd was great, but it was nice to send him packing.”

Can Korda do the same in a more neutral atmosphere against Fritz? Ironically it’s “Claylor” with the clay-court edge, having beaten him in their only previous meeting at the 2022 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. Korda was fresh off a big win over Carlos Alcaraz but couldn’t maintain that form in two sets against his countryman in the next round.

“It’s a long process out there,” said Korda. “So, you just got to stay patient, stay hungry, and look forward to the next point.”

Ostensibly against all odds, the Foro Italico will host a no-joke encounter between two consummate American clay-courters, with the winner looking like a serious threat for a deep run.