Coric reaches first final since 2022 as Rune retires with injury in Montpellier
The Croat was in firm control of the match before Rune was forced to withdraw, trailing by a set and a double break, with an arm injury
Borna Coric, Montpellier, 2024 © JB Autissier, Open Sud de France
Borna Coric has reached the final of the Open Sud de France after Holger Rune was forced to retire from their last-four match with an arm injury.
It was an unfortunate end to the match for both players, as Coric was in firm control, having played excellently throughout to navigate his way to a 6-3, 4-1 lead before the young Dane decided he could not see out the remainder of the match.
For Coric, this victory sends him into his first tour-level final since winning the 2022 Cincinnati Masters nearly 18 months ago.
The Croat’s career has been plagued by injury, and putting together a sustained run of good fitness has proved difficult in recent years.
But there is no denying his talent, as his rock-solid baseline defence remains a tough task for any player to break down, while his counter-punching abilities form an impressive bedrock of his game style.
For Rune, this result is a continuation of a somewhat stuttering start to 2024. Having reached the final in Brisbane, he then suffered an early exit at the Australian Open, before this week’s frustrating end in Montpellier.
Rune struggled with the physicality of the encounter throughout, despite landing an early break of serve in the opening set.
Coric broke straight back, before breaking again in the eighth game and serving out the opening set.
From there, it was all one-way traffic as it became quickly evident that Rune was struggling with an arm injury.
After falling a double-break down in the second, the Dane decided he’d seen enough, calling time on the match and sending Coric through to Sunday’s showpiece.
The Croat will face Alexander Bublik, the second seed, in that final after the Kazakh came back from a set down yet again in this tournament to knock out Felix Auger-Aliassime in an entertaining encounter.
Should Coric win, it will complete a remarkably successful return to tour action, having missed much of the last eight months through injury.
