Borna Coric, who was playing Challenger events only a few months ago, won the Cincinnati Masters title beating Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets. It was a great week for Coric – he beat Rafael Nadal, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Cameron Norrie on his way to the title.

Coric, who was ranked 152 in the world coming into the tournament, is the lowest ranked player ever to win a Masters title. He has been struggling with injuries and underwent shoulder surgery in 2021.  All the hard work off the court paid off for Coric as he looked flawless on the court this week.

Tsitsipas had beaten world number 1 Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals but Coric was too consistent for Tsitsipas, who did not win a single point in the first set tiebreak. 

This is Coric’s first title in 4 years. Speaking of his win, Coric said:

I didn’t believe I was going to win the tournament. I never look too much forward. I’m always focused on the next round. I was just believing that I can win the next match. That’s what I did for five days in a row.

With the title, Coric will rise to 29 in the world and will be seeded at the US Open. With Novak Djokovic unable to play the US Open due to his vaccination status, Coric goes into the US Open as the dark horse with the potential to life the title.