Korda brushes aside lack of preparation to progress in Melbourne

Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 17, 2022 Sebastian Korda of the U.S. celebrates after winning his first round match against Britain's Cameron Norrie REUTERS/James Gourley

(Reuters) - Sebastian Korda's disrupted build-up to the Australian Open did not appear to hinder his performance in the first round of the Grand Slam as he dispatched British number one Cameron Norrie with relative ease on Monday.

The unseeded American tested positive for COVID-19 after landing in Adelaide earlier this month and was forced to withdraw from two warm-up tournaments and was confined to hitting tennis balls in his hotel room while isolating.