Match Details
Fixture: (4) Stefanos Tsitsipas vs (PR) Borna Coric
Date: August 21, 2022
Tournament: Cincinnati Open 2022
Round: Final
Venue: Cincinnati, United States
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Surface: Hard
Prize money: $6,280,880
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - TSN | UK - Amazon Prime Video | Australian – beIN Sports
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Borna Coric preview
World No. 7 Stefanos Tsitsipas will take on former World No. 12 Borna Coric in the finals of the Cincinnati Open on Sunday.
Tsitsipas has recorded 46 wins against 15 losses so far this year. He will be eyeing his third title of the season following his Mallorca Open and Monte-Carlo Masters victories. He beat Roberto Bautista Agut in the Mallorca final, while he defeated Alejandro Davidovich Fokina to successfully defend his Monte-Carlo title.
The 24-year-old also made the finals of ATP Rotterdam and the Italian Open, but was denied the titles by Felix Auger-Aliassime and Novak Djokovic respectively. The Greek has made deep runs in numerous other tournaments, notably reaching the semifinals of the Australian Open where he was humbled by Daniil Medvedev in four sets 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-4, 6-1.
Tsitsipas, however, turned the tables this time around as he scored a huge win over World No. 1 Medvedev in the semifinals in Cincinnati. The former World No. 3 crushed the Russian 7-6 (6), 3-6, 6-3 to book his place in Sunday's final.
Coric, meanwhile, has become the lowest-ranked finalist in the history of the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati. The Croat is having the week of his life defeating three top-10 seeds in the States.
Entering the tournament on a protected ranking, he added huge wins to his resume, outclassing Lorenzo Musetti, second seed Rafael Nadal, 15th seed Bautista Agut and seventh seed Auger-Aliassime. He most recently beat ninth seed Cameron Norrie 6-3, 6-4 in the semifinals to keep the pursuit of his first Masters 1000 title alive.
Coric was on the sidelines for a year as he underwent shoulder surgery in 2021. He did not get the desired results immediately upon comeback but his resilience has shone through in recent days. The 25-year-old participated in various Challenger events, winning the Parma Challenger. He also reached the quarterfinals of the German Open but withdrew mid-match.
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Borna Coric head-to-head
The head-to-head record for the Greek and the Croat stands at 1-1. Coric was able to diminish Tsitsipas at the US Open in 2020 with a 6-7 (2), 6-4, 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (4). Tsitsipas, however, got one over the 25-year-old at the Rome Masters in 2018 as Coric retired mid-match, trailing 1-4 in the first set.
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Borna Coric odds
(All odds sourced from bet365)
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Borna Coric prediction
This will be a rip-roaring summit clash. Tsitsipas will enter the encounter as the textbook favorite, but Coric’s grit cannot be undermined.
Both players have shown some exquisite tennis throughout the week. In the previous encounter, the Croat served in seven aces against two double faults while the Greek dished out four aces but seven double faults.
The two have been actively approaching the net and bringing their opponents forward to win points. Tsitsipas, especially won 27 of his 36 net points against Medvedev. Like Tsitsipas, Coric implemented a few serve-and-volleys to disrupt Norrie.
The duo have had great court coverage and have pushed their competitors into the corners consistently. They will likely frazzle each other out in the finals on Sunday. This is anybody’s game but given Coric’s reputable wins this week, he might just pull off another huge upset.
Pick: Coric to win in three sets.
Also Checkout : US Open 2022 Schedule