Coric beats Tsitsipas, wins Cincinnati Open men’s crown

CINCINNATI: A resurgent Borna Coric powered past fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-6(0), 6-2 to win the Cincinnati Open on Sunday, signalling his return to full fitness from shoulder surgery and showing that he will be a threat at the US Open.

On a comeback trail after undergoing a right shoulder surgery last year, Coric returned to the ATP Tour in March and has now clinched the biggest title of his career. Coric capped a remarkable week, which 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 at Flushing Meadows.

The Cincinnati title was the third of Coric’s career and his first since 2018. “I did not believe I was going to win the tournament,” Coric told a news conference.

“I never look too much forward (too far ahead). When I was in the semi-finals, obviously I knew who I was going to play in the final because there are not many matches. But in the first couple of rounds, I am not really focused on the next round. I always focus on the round which I play at that moment. I just believed that I could win the next match. That is what I did for five days in a row,” added Coric.

Coming off a semi-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 break would be the one and only for Tsitsipas as Coric would dig in and take the fight to the Greek. Coric got back on level terms, breaking at 3-4, as the closely contested opening set had to be decided by a tie-break.

Tsitsipas double faulted on the first point of the tie-break and never recovered, with Coric accepting the gift and winning 7-0.

RESULT: Men’s singles: Final: B Coric bt S Tsitsipas 7-6(0), 6-2

Qualifier Caroline goes the distance

Caroline Garcia defeated Petra Kvitova 6-2, 6-4 to clinch the Cincinnati Open title on Sunday and become the first qualifier to win a WTA Tour 1000 tournament.

After battling through qualifying, Caroline beat three top-10 opponents – Maria Sakkari, Aryna Sabalenka and Jessica Pegula – on the way to the final, where she delivered a masterclass against Czech Kvitova. The Frenchwoman relied on her weapons to bag her third title of the season, sending down 11 aces and saving all eight break points she faced.

RESULT: Women’s singles: Final: Caroline bt P Kvitova 6-2, 6-4