Borna Coric, 152nd in the world, surprisingly won the Cincinnati Masters 1000, his first title in a tournament of this category just below the Grand Slams, beating 7-6 (7/0), 6-2 Stefanos Tsitsipas (7th), Sunday in the final.
His last final was in 2020
The 25-year-old Croatian, who also fell for Rafael Nadal in Ohio this week, is making a stunning comeback after shoulder surgery last year sent him down the rankings.
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. The one whose best ranking was 12th place in 2018, had not confirmed this new status at the time.
Coric driven by great confidence
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.
29th place in the world ranking
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.