Sebastian Korda will play his first match of the 2026 season against Valentin Vacherot at the Brisbane International. Whoever out of the two wins the match, will face the winner of the all-Czech clash between third seed Jiří Lehečka and Tomáš Macháč.
Korda had an injury-laden 2025 season that saw him win just 22 out of 40 matches, most notably reaching the final of the Adelaide International. The American’s last tournament was the Hellenic Championships in Athens where he reached the semifinals before losing 0-6, 7-5, 5-7 to eventual runner-up Novak Djokovic.
Valentin Vacherot was the star of what will become one of tennis’ greatest fairy tales of this century. The Monegasque won the Shanghai Masters after going through the qualifiers, beating his cousin Arthur Rinderknech 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the final.
Sebastian Korda vs. Valentina Vacherot Match Details
Date: Jan. 5, 2026
Tournament: Brisbane International 2026
Round: First Round (Round of 32)
Venue: Queensland Tennis Centre, Brisbane, Australia
Category: ATP 250
Surface: Hard
Live Telecast: Tennis Channel, TSN, Sky Sports
Korda vs. Vacherot Head-to-Head
The head-to-head between the two is currently locked at 0-0 as they have not had any prior encounters on the ATP Tour.
Korda vs. Vacherot Prediction
Vacherot will enter the match as the favorite to win given their latest performances. However, Korda has produced some quality performances when in form and he has reached a few finals in Australia before. So, there is every chance of him giving Vacherot a run for his money.
Korda served 56 aces from five matches in Australia last season and will look to fetch as many free points as he can against his Monegasque counterpart. The 25-year-old likes to play aggressively and his forehand is a very powerful weapon. Fitness has been a key concern for him and it will be interesting to see how he fares after a few weeks away from tennis.
Vacherot’s game carries a bit more variety compared to Korda’s, as his aggression is well complemented by decent defensive skills. The 27-year-old’s serve may not be as effective as his opponent’s but he had quite a few matches during the tail-end of 2025 where he produced more than ten aces.
The match promises to be an exciting one, especially if both players are at their best, and could also be the start of answers to two questions, namely, “How will Korda fare after his 2025 woes?”, and “Can Vacherot sustain his results from Shanghai?” The Monesgasque did do well to reach the quarterfinals in Paris, and it will not be much of a surprise if he comes out on top.
Pick: Korda to win in three sets.
