Wednesday’s Summary
MEN’S TOP SEED SEBASTIAN KORDA WINS OPENING ROUND TEST
TO ADVANCE AT 2026 BETTER BUZZ COFFEE SAN DIEGO OPEN
Thursday’s Order of Play to Begin at 10 a.m. (PST) at Barnes Tennis Center
SAN DIEGO – (January 28, 2026) – It wasn’t easy, but top-seeded Sebastian Korda saved his best tennis for last as he got past fellow American Daniel Milavsky 6-4, 7-5 in one-hour and 29 minutes to move into the men’s singles second-round of the Better Buzz Coffee San Diego Open.
Playing before a large Stadium Court crowd on a mostly cloudy afternoon at Barnes Tennis Center, Korda and Milavsky were locked in a hard-hitting baseline battle, but with Milavsky serving at 4-5 to stay in the opening set, Korda scored a key service break to secure the first set.
As both players raised the level of their games, the entertaining second set was even after the first 10 games. At 5-5, Korda held serve for a 6-5 lead and then once again, came through with a critical break of serve in the last game of the set to win the match.
Korda played the ATP 250 tournament at Barnes Tennis Center in 2021. He defeated American Tommy Paul 6-3, 5-7, 6-1 in the first-round before falling to Italy's Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 6-4 in the second round. This year, Korda was happy to return to San Diego and get the opportunity to play some matches.
“This is a great tournament. I love San Diego. I went to the USS Midway a couple of days ago. This is a cool place to be. The weather is probably the best in the States right now, especially where it’s cold everywhere,” Korda said.
“I just wanted to stay in a competitive mind-set. I had a long five-week preseason and three hard-court tournaments,” he added. “I didn’t want to go home and just practice again and get back in the same cycle. I wanted to keep playing matches and enjoy myself as much as I can.”
Korda, who is currently ranked No. 53 in the ATP singles rankings, will take on compatriot Andre Ilagan on Thursday in the third match scheduled on Stadium Court.
In other men's first-round singles action, San Diego-based touring professionals Zachary Svajda and Keegan Smith won their matches to advance to Thursday's second-round.
The fourth-seeded Svajda eliminated American qualifier Evan Zhu 6-2, 6-4 in 72 minutes earlier in the day on Stadium Court. Later in the afternoon, the unseeded Smith scored a thrilling 6-3, 7-6 (6) victory over Raphael Perot of France in one-hour and 38 minutes on Court 1. Smith and Svajda will meet in a second-round match on Thursday for a spot in Friday's quarterfinals.
Eighth-seeded Kayla Day, a former USTA Billie Jean King Girls' 18s National Champion, highlighted play in the women's singles draw as she defeated Katie Swan of Great Britain 6-7 (2), 6-2, 6-2 in two-hours and 40 minutes on Court 1.
Day will take on American wild card entrant Jennifer Brady in Thursday's second-round. Brady, who was ranked a career-high No. 13 in the world, reached the Australian Open singles final in 2021 and the US Open singles semifinals in 2020.
Matches will begin at 10 a.m., through Friday, January 30, and at noon on Saturday, January 31 and Sunday, February 1. Gates at Barnes Tennis Center will open one hour before the first match each day.
Tickets are now on sale at: https://barnessdopen.com/tickets. Ticket prices range from $25 for General Admission to early-round matches to $45 for Reserved Seating on the final weekend.
All Youth 17 & under will receive free General Admission Grounds Access through Saturday, January 31 with a ticketed adult.
About Barnes Tennis Center – Barnes Tennis Center is a three-time award-winning multi-racquet sports facility in San Diego. It was constructed between 1995 and 1997 and named after its lead donor family, the "George E. Barnes Family Junior Tennis Center." The capital campaign was led by Dr. Homer Peabody Jr., who spearheaded the project and is greatly appreciated by Youth Tennis San Diego. The Center is dedicated to serving the youth of San Diego, and children aged 18 and under have court priority and play for free. The facility offers 7 Padel courts and 19 Pickleball courts. Barnes Tennis Center is a premier racquet facility dedicated to growing the game through professional events, youth development, and community engagement. For additional information, go to: https://www.barnestenniscenter.com/.
About Youth Tennis San Diego – Youth Tennis San Diego, owner and operator of Barnes Tennis Center, has brought the game of tennis right to the backyards of thousands of children and adults across San Diego County–eliminating long-standing financial barriers and dramatically increasing the accessibility of the sport. At the head of tennis organizations, YTSD has developed outreach programs, with its signature Kathy Chabot Willette After School Tennis at the forefront, in a central location at Barnes Tennis Center in the heart of San Diego. For additional information, go to: https://www.ytsd.org/.
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MEDIA CONTACT — J. Fred Sidhu — 619.507.6943 (m) — jfscommunications@gmail.com
