Surprise in Cincinnati: Borna Coric, 152nd in the world, became the worst ranked Masters 1000 winner by beating 7-6 (7 / 0), 6-2 Stefanos Tsitsipas (7th), Sunday in the final.
“To be honest, I wasn’t prepared to give a victory speech five days ago. I thought I was going to lose in the first round, ”smiled after his feat, the 25-year-old Croatian, long sidelined after an injury.
The tennis planet, she especially thought that he was not going to survive his 2nd round which opposed him to the ogre Rafael Nadal, for his return to the courts after six weeks without playing due to an abdominal injury.
But Coric for the first time thwarted the predictions. And if the Spaniard grimaced at the end of his defeat, he must smile in his corner, telling himself that his opponent was indeed on a completely different level than his ranking suggested, as the following victims have bitterly experienced, the Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime (9th), the Briton Cameron Norrie (11th) and therefore Tsitsipas.
So many heavyweights on the circuit who did not weigh heavily, facing the Croatian in his successful quest for a first title in a Masters 1000, a category of tournaments just below the Grand Slams.
This is a breathtaking return to the fore, after shoulder surgery last year that took him down the ranks.
His last final on the circuit dates back to 2020, lost in Saint Petersburg, and his first two victories in tournaments, even further. He opened his counter in Marrakech in 2017 and added Halle to his list the following year.
Tsitsipas “too relaxed”
The one whose best ranking was 12th place in 2018, had not confirmed this new status at the time.
Faced with Tsitsipas, all the more favorite in this final as he remained on a convincing victory in the semi-final at the expense of the world No.1, Coric sometimes played in a state of grace, with audacious blows that paid off, carried by a great confidence.
After a start inside, which saw the Greek escape 3-0, the Croatian quickly woke up to unbreak to equalize at 4-4. Then he proved intractable in the deciding game, being as aggressive as he was precise, especially on the backhand.
A setback that allowed him to lob, retreating and blind, Tsitsipas disconcerted by the success of his rival, but also frustrated at not having been able to steal the service despite three opportunities at the start of the second set.
On the contrary, it was Coric, still as sharp (37 winning shots against 22 in the end) who managed to break him to escape 4-2. Powerless, Tsitsipas surrendered by giving up his service again after two hours of play.
Coric, who won in Ohio the most prestigious of the three titles he now has on his list, will make a spectacular leap to 29th place in the world rankings. Enough to inherit seeded status at the US Open (August 29-September 11), with, who knows, an even crazier dream to accomplish.
Tsitspas, who certainly did better than the semi-finals of the two previous editions at “Cincy”, will have to recover from this setback, which no one, not even him, expected.
“I guess I was too relaxed. It cost me. He, on the other hand, was much more involved, ”he agreed.
The Greek will nonetheless be expected as a contender for Flushing Meadows.