Coric’s improbable Cincinnati run continues into final

Against all odds, Borna Coric is into the championship match of the Western & Southern Open.

Coric, who missed more than a year from February 2021 until March 2022 because of injury, has suddenly produced the best week of his career from pretty much completely out of nowhere. His stay in Cincinnati continued on Saturday night with a 6-3, 6-4 defeat of Cameron Norrie, which lasted one hour and 31 minutes.

I knew I needed to work probably three times harder than I used to work. And that’s what I did.

Borna Coric

“I do feel great,” Coric assured. “Also a little bit tired, to be honest. But that’s normal. I didn’t play many finals in the last three years, so I’m just very happy to be here. I [am] super happy to be here and to play a tournament and to compete against top guys.

“I really find that that’s the only explanation which I have, is I was really, really working very hard in the last six months. Because I knew I needed to come back. I think once you are in the top 20 or in top 30 or somewhere where you want to be, you can get a little bit sloppy and maybe get away with it. But once you fall down the rankings, No 200…or I don’t know where I was…. But I knew I needed to work probably three times harder than I used to work. And that’s what I did.

“For the last six months I was really focused. I kept my head down even when I was losing and when I was not playing very good tennis. So I think that’s the key, and then obviously you need to be lucky a little bit, as well. I believe that you create your own luck.”

Full steam ahead for Coric after beating Nadal

Not even a second-round upset of Rafael Nadal foretold what was in the cards for Coric. The world No 152, who opened with a 7-6(2), 6-3 victory over Lorenzo Musetti, followed up his result against Nadal by taking out Roberto Bautista Agut, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Norrie all in straight sets.

He will go for one more win — and the title — against Stefanos Tsitsipas on Sunday.

Norrie was coming off a quarter-final thriller against Carlos Alcaraz that lasted more than three hours on Friday night.

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