Valentin Vacherot’s 2026 season began with a defeat in his opening match at the Brisbane International.
Vacherot enjoyed a breakthrough year in 2025, having taken the tennis world by storm when he became the lowest-ranked player ever to win a Masters title by emerging victorious in Shanghai.
He could not get off on the right foot in Australia, however, with the Monegasque star falling in round one to Sebastian Korda of the US.
The American defeated Vacherot in straight sets, 7-6, 6-3, to advance to the second round of the ATP 250 event.
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Sebastian Korda reacts to winning his first match of the season
In his on-court interview, Korda said: “Yeah, it was a pretty solid match, I think it was a pretty high level.
“He was serving great, and I was just trying to figure out ways to just put the ball in the court at times, but yeah, happy with the start, especially against a high-level opponent, couldn’t ask for anything better.
“I thought it would move pretty well, and I think that’s a big key for me. It’s just staying aggressive and going after it. Hopefully, I can keep playing this way and get a couple more matches under my belt.”
“There’s no better place to start the year [than Brisbane], honestly. It’s always packed, there are great fans, and it’s hot and humid, and I love that, so it’s a great place.”
Discussing his pre-season, Korda said: “It was a lot of hard work, you know, some downtime with my family.
“I mean, honestly, it was one of the best pre-seasons I’ve had, and happy and lucky to be here playing, and I’ll take it match by match now.”
Sebastian Korda’s next match at the Brisbane International
In his second match at the Brisbane International, Korda will face the third seed Jiri Lehecka, who beat his Czech compatriot, Tomas Machac, to advance.
Korda has faced Lehecka two times before on the ATP Tour, the first of which came in the 2024 Adelaide International semifinals.
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Lehecka came out on top in that clash and took a 2-0 lead in the head-to-head in 2025 at the Monte-Carlo Masters.
They will now meet for the second time on hard court, and third overall, as they continue their Australian Open tune-up campaigns.
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