5 players who made their Grand Slam breakthrough at the Australian Open

Modified Jan 11, 2020 20:33 GMT

2019 Australian Open Trophy Presentation

#4 Petr Korda - 1998

After going down to American Jim Courier in straight sets in his maiden Grand Slam final at Roland Garros 1992, Petr Korda made his second Grand Slam final at the 1998 Australian Open.

Contesting the first all-lefty Grand Slam final since John McEnroe beat Jimmy Connors at 1984 Wimbledon, Korda took on Marcelo Rios of Chile. Rios holds the rather ignominious record of being the only World No. 1 never to have won a Grand Slam title; this would be Rios' first and last opportunity to do so.

The final itself between the two left-handers turned out to be rather dull. Korda beat Rios for the loss of two games in each set, for the most lopsided Grand Slam final since the 1991 US Open (where Stefan Edberg beat Jim Courier 6-4, 6-2, 6-0).

With the win, the then 31-year-old Korda ascended to a career-high of World No. 2, in the process becoming the fifth oldest player to make his Grand Slam breakthrough.

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Bhargav is a veteran sports journalist and editor at Sportskeeda, with a rich professional experience of 17 years, working for the likes of Siemens and Bombay Dyeing. An avid football and tennis follower for over three decades, Bhargav uses his vast knowledge and experience, attention to detail, an unbiased yet interesting writing style, and thorough research to craft insightful articles, which have raked in over 18 million reads so far.

Bhargav supports Italy at national level, a team steeped in tradition and history according to him. He still harbors the heartbreak from the Azzurri’s 1994 FIFA World Cup final defeat against Brazil, and protagonist-turned-antagonist from the game, ‘Divine Ponytail’ Roberto Baggio is his all-time favorite player. His favorite manager is Marcelo Lippi, who ended Italy’s 24-year wait for the World Cup trophy, winning it in 2006.

Outside Europe’s top five leagues, he follows the MLS following Lionel Messi’s move in 2023 but favors Cristiano Ronaldo in the G.O.A.T. debate. During his free time, Bhargav enjoys driving off to new places and singing.

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Edited by Musab Abid