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Borna Coric scripted a fairy-tale triumph at the Cincinnati Masters on Sunday, beating fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets in the final.
With the win, the 152nd-ranked Croatian became the lowest-ranked player to win a Masters 1000 title. The 25-year-old dropped his only set of the week against former winner Rafael Nadal in the Round of 32.
Not many saw this win coming, as Coric hasn't played much on the ATP tour this year due to injury. He was ranked outside the top 260 when he arrived in Monte Carlo. He had since gone 3-6 coming into Cincinnati, including an opening-round exit at the Canada Open last week.
However, Coric caught fire at the Western & Southern Open, producing the best week of his career by winning his first Masters 1000 title - third singles title overall.
With his win, Coric has jumped over 120 places to return to the top 30 of the ATP rankings. Along the way, he also improved his head-to-head record with a few players.
On that note, here's a look at Coric's head-to-head record against four top players following his Cincinnati triumph:
#1 Daniil Medvedev 2:4 Borna Coric
World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev surprisingly has a losing H2H record against Coric, winning only two of the pair's six meetings. Medvedev and Coric were slated to meet in the Cincinanti final, but the 2019 winner was beaten by Tsitsipas in the semifinals.
The Russian won the pair's last meeting in the 2019 St. Petersburg final. However, Coric had won four of their five previous meetings, including one at the US Open. Medvedev's other win over Coric came in the first round at Wimbledon in 2018, but the Croatian returned the favor a few weeks later in the third round at Flushing Meadows.
#2 Stefanos Tsitsipas 1:2 Borna Coric
Borna Coric was level at 1-1 in his H2H with Stefanos Tsitsipas coming into the Cincinnati final.
Playing his first tour-level final in two years, Coric made a slow start, trailing 4-1. However, the Croatian fought back to recoup the break and clinched the opener in a tie-break, where he didn't concede a point.
Riding on his momentum, the 25-year-old broke the fourth seed twice in the second set to become the 75th different player to win a Masters 1000 title - fourth this year.
Tsitsipas' only win over Coric came in the Rome first round four years ago. The Croatian exacted revenge in the third round of the 2020 US Open to even his H2H record against Tsitsipas.
#3 Nick Kyrgios 2-3 Borna Coric
Nick Kyrgios is one of the form players on North American hardcourt this summer, winning 10 of his 12 matches.
The Wimbledon finalist, who lost in the second round in Cincinnati, has a losing record against Coric. The Australian has won only two of his five matches against the new Masters 1000 champion.
After winning the pair's first meeting in Estoril six years ago, Kyrgios' only other win in his next four meetings with Coric came in the Round of 32 at Cincinnati in 2018. During this period, Coric has beaten Kyrgios twice at a Masters 1000 tournament - Cincinnati (2017) and Miami (2019).
#4 Rafael Nadal 2:3 Borna Coric
Borna Coric streaked ahead in his H2H with Rafael Nadal, beating the 22-time Major winner in the Round of 32 in Cincinnati en route to the title.
Nadal, who was returning to action after six weeks owing to an abdominal tear, lost the first set in a tie-break. The reigning Australian Open and Roland Garros winner fought back to force a decider, but Coric reasserted his ascendancy in the contest to cross the finish line.
It was the Croatian's second win over Nadal in Cincinnati, having also beaten the Spaniard in the Round of 16 in 2016.
All five of the pair's meetings on tour have come on hardcourts. Coric's other win over Nadal came in Basel (2014), while the Spaniard came out on top at the US Open (2015) and Canada Open (2017).
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