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Match details
Fixture: Milos Raonic vs Borna Coric
Date: 17 October 2020
Tournament: St. Petersburg Open 2020
Round: Semi-finals
Venue: St. Petersburg, Russia
Category: ATP 500
Surface: Indoor hardcourt
Prize money: $1,243,790
Match timing: Not before 3:30 pm Moscow Standard Time, 6 pm IST
Live telecast: USA - ESPN / Tennis Channel | India - Sony Six
Milos Raonic vs Borna Coric preview
6th seed Milos Raonic will lock horns with 7th seed Borna Coric in the semi-finals of the 2020 St. Petersburg Open on Saturday.
Both players have been in exceptional form, with neither dropping a set en route to the last four.
A lot of questions were raised over Raonic's physique and fitness during the suspension of the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic but he’s proven his doubters wrong by playing some sensational tennis.
Raonic, who has not dropped serve in the tournament, has faced only 10 breakpoints in six sets. He was in cruise control in his quarter-final clash against home favorite Karen Khachanov, demolishing the Russian 6-1 in the opening set before edging a second-set tie-break.
His semi-final opponent, Borna Coric will hope to pose a sterner test. The Croat has done well on hard courts since the resumption of the tour, advancing to the quarter-finals of the US Open for the first time in his career and following it up with a deep run in St. Petersburg.
In the quarter-final against big-serving American Reilly Opelka, Coric was staring down the barrel after conceding an early break of serve and trailing 2-5 in the first set. But the Croat raised his level to break back and take the opening set in a tie-break before sealing the second 6-3.
Milos Raonic vs Borna Coric head-to-head
Milos Raonic leads Borna Coric 1-0 in their head-to-head, having defeated the Croat 6-3, 7-6(2) in the Delray Beach Open three years ago.
Milos Raonic vs Borna Coric prediction
Coric is arguably the only player left in the draw who is capable of troubling Raonic in his service games and neutralizing the Canadian's biggest weapon.
Coric is a good returner and should be able to make inroads into the Raonic serve. However, he will need to find a way to withstand the Canadian's barrage from the baseline. This has all the makings of a tight three-set encounter, with Raonic the slight favourite given his superior form.
Prediction: Milos Raonic to win in three sets.
