Resurgent Borna Coric powered past fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-6 (7-0), 6-2 to win the Cincinnati Open on Sunday, proving that his shoulder is healed and showing that he will be a threat at the U.S. Open.
On the comeback trail after undergoing right shoulder surgery last year, Coric returned to the ATP Tour in March and after eight months on the sidelines was back in the winner¡¯s circle after claiming the biggest title of his career.
Ranked No. 152 and in the tournament via a protected ranking, Coric capped a remarkable week that included a second round victory over Rafael Nadal with a brilliant final that no doubt marks the 25-year-old Croatian as a dark horse contender at Flushing Meadows.
The title was the third of Coric¡¯s career but his first since 2018 and will see him jump up the rankings to world No. 29 on Monday and he will be seeded at the U.S. Open.
¡°I didn¡¯t believe I was going to win the tournament,¡± Coric told a news conference after his victory. ¡°I never look too much forward.
¡°When I was in the semifinals, obviously I know who I¡¯m going to play in the final, because it¡¯s not many matches. But in the first couple of rounds, I¡¯m not really focused on the next round.
¡°I¡¯m always focused on the round which I¡¯m playing right now. I was just believing that I can win the next match. That¡¯s what I did for five days in a row.¡±
Coming off a sem-final win over world No. 1 Daniil Medvedev, Tsitsipas carried some of that momentum into the final, breaking Coric at the first opportunity on way to a 4-1 lead.
That would be his only break, Coric took the fight to the Greek.
Coric got even when he secured a break at 4-3 as the opening set continued to a tiebreak.
Tsitsipas double faulted on the first point of the tiebreak and never recovered, as Coric won 7-0.
Coric kept up the pressure in the second set, and Tsitsipas finally cracked with a double-fault to hand Coric another break and a 4-3 lead.
With dark storm clouds gathering, Coric moved to end the match, holding and then breaking Tsitsipas again to end it.
¡°I think he was serving well,¡± Tsitsipas told reporters. ¡°He was making me move a lot.
¡°I could have used my chances in the first set. I don¡¯t know why I didn¡¯t. I rushed a little bit.
¡°He had a few good returns, and it cost me because that first set could have been very life-changing.¡±
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