DELRAY BEACH — Tommy Paul has his “Founding Fathers” fan club. Sebastian Korda owns Florida Panthers superstar Aleksander Barkov.
On February 22, in the finals of the All-American Delray Beach Open at the Delray Beach Tennis Center, Korda defeated Paul 6-4, 6-3 in front of 4,774 fans to score a hockey point.
advertise
Korda, who grew up in Bradenton and is the son of Tour great Pate, won his first Delray Beach Open title but fell to the ground after falling behind Love-40 on serve after winning match point in an epic match.
The 25-year-old Korda, who entered the tournament unseeded and dropped to No. 50 in the rankings after a rough start to 2026, fared better in windy conditions. He is the sixth unseeded player in 34 years to win the event.
More Delray Beach: Delray Beach Open becomes citywide festival with food and downtown events
“It was amazing, especially considering how everything was going,” Korda said. “Crazy wind.” Last game I was down -40 and somehow I came back, got some good serves, believed in it and chased it. When trailing by love-40, it’s as satisfying as winning a tournament. It takes a lot of mental effort. “
advertise
Barkov was in Korda’s player box. Korda, who is of Czech descent, played hockey until he was 11 years old and met Swiss Barkov during his first game with Del Rey in 2021.
“(Barkov) watches more tennis matches than anyone on the planet,” Korda said after winning the ATP 250 event in 1 hour, 22 minutes. “He watches everything. He’s here for every match and all my practices. He texts me all the time. I met him while playing here in 2021. He’s a good friend of mine. I want to be on the ice with him.”
Sebastian Korda celebrates his 6-4, 6-3 win over Tommy Paul in the finals of the Delray Beach Open on Sunday, February 22, 2026 at Delray Beach Arena and Tennis Center.
Paul, who lives in Boca Raton, still doesn’t have a complete answer at Delray, as he failed to win the game in six attempts. But this one was special, with the “Founding Fathers” – three high school seniors from Boca Raton’s Donna Klein High School – Matthew, Alex and Chad cheering, chanting and singing at all of Paul’s games.
advertise
The trio often led the rest of the crowd in the Paul Chorus – a ditty often heard (“You say Tommy, I say Paul. Tommy…Paul. Tommy…Paul”).
During the ceremony, Paul paid tribute to the trio, who were dressed in colonial-era costumes.
“No matter what, they come into every game and bring energy,” said fourth-seeded Paulth
Two years ago, Paul, 28, lost to his good friend Taylor Fritz in the Del Rey finals. Paul looked even more lost in the wind on Sunday, often showing frustration when one of his lobs sailed many yards because of sudden currents. When he broke serve at 4-5, allowing Korda to take the first set, the wind in that match picked up significantly. Bad timing.
advertise
“He handled it better today and deserved to win,” Paul said. “I was definitely angry. I didn’t want to get that (second place) trophy again. I thought I was playing really good tennis until the last leg. I didn’t think I was playing very well, but it started to gain momentum late. He worked his way out of trouble at Love 40.”
At that moment, Korda’s steely nerves hit a couple of aces, Paul easily hit a forehand and hit a few other long shots. Overall, Korda directed the ball more accurately into play in South Florida’s gusty winds.
“The secret is growing up in Florida,” said Korda, ranked No. 2 in the world. “That’s where I’ve played my whole life — it’s super windy.” Growing up, my dad said, you just put the ball on the court in a certain way. It doesn’t matter if it’s the ugliest chip or the ugliest shot in the world. As long as it makes it to the other side of the island, that’s all that matters. “
Korda, who defeated second-seeded Casper Rudd in the quarterfinals, trailed by a break point early in the second set. Paul pounced on Korda, breaking him immediately after winning a 30-shot standoff with a cross-court forehand winner.
advertise
But Korda scored again with a break from the right for a 3-1 lead. The Bradenton resident jumped out to a 4-1 lead and held off a fierce counterattack by Paul in the final game that could have sent the second set on serve.
When asked if he was angry at himself or the wind, Paul said, “I can’t be angry at nature.”
Tommy Paul returns a volley against Sebastian Korda in the Delray Beach Open final. Korda won the match 6-4, 6-3 on Sunday, February 22, 2026 at the Delray Beach Arena and Tennis Center.
Paul defeated upstart American Tian – a player some believe has the tennis smarts to hit big scores with his left-handed forehand – in the semifinals on February 21.
“Tian is awesome,” Paul said. “The younger generation of Americans, they’re not afraid of anything at all, and they’re not afraid of us. It’s a great thing for them. It’s annoying for us. They’re ready to beat us every time. They’re serious players.”
advertise
Korda has not won an ATP event since the 2024 tournament in Washington, D.C., in preparation for the U.S. Open. Korda lost in the finals here in 2021. “My confidence is definitely growing,” Korda said. “It’s just about being consistent. “I’ve been inconsistent the past few years. “
“He’s been through a lot of injuries and setbacks. It’s great to see him get to this level,” Paul said.
Future of Delray Beach Open uncertain
If things change somehow, this could be the penultimate Del Rey Championship.
ATP officials said last month that the goal was to reduce the size of the 250-point ATP events with an eye toward shortening the schedule. There are three 250-point ATP events in the United States – the Delray Beach event and events in Houston (on indoor clay courts before the spring European clay season) and Winston Salem, North Carolina.
advertise
The Delray Open attracted 59,366 fans this week. With so many players residing in South Florida, it’s hard to see Delray Beach getting fired.
This article originally appeared in the Palm Beach Post: Unseeded Sebastian Korda defeats Tommy Paul at Delray Beach Open
