Fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas edged world number one Daniil Medvedev 7-6(6) 3-6 6-3 in an absorbing semi-final at the Cincinnati Open on Saturday to set up a summit clash with Borna Coric after the Croatian’s 6-3 6-4 win over Cameron Norrie.
Tsitsipas saved a set point in the opening tie-break to take the lead but collapsed in stunning fashion in the second set, falling behind 5-0 before narrowly avoiding a bagel.
But the Greek, who had just two wins in nine matches against Medvedev coming into the encounter, raised his game in the decider and broke the U.S. Open champion at 3-2 before comfortably serving out the match with some exquisite net play.
Sunday will be Tsitsipas’ first final appearance in Cincinnati and his fifth overall in 2022.
Tsintillating 🙌
The moment @steftsitsipas defeated Daniil Medvedev 7-6(6) 3-6 6-3 to reach his first #CincyTennis final! pic.twitter.com/Jwhz6puZfM
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 21, 2022
Coric reached his second ATP Masters 1000 final – and first since undergoing shoulder surgery last year – with a commanding performance against Norrie, who offered little resistance against his opponent’s heavy hitting from the baseline.
British ninth seed Norrie started brightly and raced into a 3-1 lead before Coric found his groove to win five straight games and secure the opening set.
Borna 2 win ✌️
The moment @borna_coric defeated Cameron Norrie 6-3 6-4 to become the lowest-ranked finalist in #CincyTennis history! pic.twitter.com/jjIVAS6hyi
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 21, 2022
“It was a very tough day, a very long day as well,” said Coric after both men’s semi-finals were delayed due to rain.
“At the beginning I was not there, I was not feeling the ball very well. Then I did find my rhythm. I started to serve better, I started to play much better and I think that was the key to the match.”
Coric, who struck 22 winners in all, kept up the momentum in the second set, clinching eight straight points to take a 4-2 lead before closing out the match to set up a third career meeting with Tsitsipas.