By Richard Pagliaro | Sunday, August 21, 2022
Borna Coric's remarkable run to the Cincinnati title has earned him a US Open seed—and favorable comparison to US Open champion Daniil Medvedev.
Playing Cincinnati on a protected ranking of No. 152, Coric, who missed most of 2021 due to a shoulder injury, rallied from 1-4 down in the opening set to sweep Stefanos Tsitsipas and claim his first Masters 1000 title in Cincinnati.
More: Coric Tops Tsitsipas in Cincinnati Final
A dynamic performance has rocketed Coric up the rankings 123 spots to No. 29 ensuring him a seed at the US Open, which starts next Monday.
Coric capped a week that saw him knock off Lorenzo Musetti, Rafael Nadal, Roberto Bautista Agut, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Cameron Norrie and Tsitsipas.
Afterward Tsitsipas said Coric may be No. 29 now, but he looks a lot like No. 1.
Tsitsipas said Coric plays like Medvedev, but hits even harder than the US Open champion.
"For him is just the less he misses, the more he makes your life difficult," Tsitsipas said. "He's like a Daniil Medvedev almost but hitting the ball a bit harder, adding a bit more topspin to the ball, opening the court.
"Basically, his ball has a little bit more weight to it when it comes off your strings."
It's not the first time Coric has drawn favorable comparisons to a Grand Slam champion.
Novak Djokovic once said an 18-year-old Coric reminded him of himself at that age.
“I like Coric and how he approaches matches. He has a very mature mindset for somebody that is only 18," said Djokovic back in 2015. "I practiced with him quite a lot in the last couple of months, and he does remind me of myself a little bit at that age."
Coric has now won titles on hard court, grass and clay. His Cincinnati crown is Coric's first title since he stunned former world No. 1 Roger Federer on grass in the 2018 Halle final. Later that season, Coric defeated Stan Wawrinka, Juan Martin del Potro and Federer to reach the Shanghai final, falling to Djokovic.
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