Ranked 152 till last week, Borna Coric now the player to avoid at US Open

Daniil Medvedev was the reigning US Open champion, Alexander Zverev came off an Olympic gold and ATP Finals triumph, Matteo Berrettini had seen a steady stream of progress at best-of-five level, and by March, 18-year-old Carlos Alcaraz’s meteoric rise saw him anointed the sport’s next king in waiting.

Yet, as the final Major of the year nears, none of them have taken advantage of Nadal and Djokovic falling away. The duo have won each of the Majors this year, and played Casper Ruud and Nick Kygrios in Grand Slam finals. The two Masters 1000 events in the build up to the US Open have seen unseeded players – Pablo Carreno Busta and Borna Coric – pick up the titles, and less than impressive runs from those at the top of the rankings.

Re-Borna 💪

The moment @borna_coric completed an unforgettable run to his maiden Masters 1000 title. #CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/EcNDJJetdt

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 21, 2022

On Sunday, Coric defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-6, 6-2 in the final of the Cincinnati Masters to complete his comeback on tour. The Croat is still entering tournaments through a protected ranking after he spent 13 consecutive months between February 2021 and March 2022 away from the tour with a bad shoulder injury.

Coric was once a big prospect on tour. In 2018, he won the grasscourt title in Halle by beating Zverev and Roger Federer. He defeated Medvedev at the US Open, and Stan Wawrinka, Juan Martin del Potro, and Federer again on his way to the final of the Shanghai Masters later that year.

His attempted comeback this year was going to take time, despite a few ATP wins. As recently as July, the 25-year-old lost an ATP Challenger first round to World No. 195 Gastao Elias.

The fast courts in America’s midwest aided the changes the Croat has been forced to make following shoulder surgery. His serve is recording more pace and accuracy, and his two-handed backhand has become a real force for winners. These changes allowed him to adopt a more aggressive strategy, that saw him blow away Tsitsipas 7-0 in the first set tiebreaker in the final, and drop only a single set all week, to Nadal.

“I was not ready for this speech five days ago – I thought I was going to lose in the first round.” @borna_coric 😂 pic.twitter.com/mvEl1vdlJg

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 21, 2022

The Cincinnati title – the biggest of his career – marks his return to a world class level that is signified by wins over five top 10 seeds including Nadal and Tsitsipas. Doing so within months of his return on tour is even more sensational, given the recent struggles faced by Major champions like Andy Murray and Dominic Thiem in making their returns.

The result of Coric’s fairytale triumph is that the leadup to the US Open has more contenders than any other Grand Slam in recent history.

Coric, who was ranked 152nd in the world last week but will now be seeded in New York, will become a floater nobody will want to face. Carreno Busta, a two-time US Open semifinalist with the Canada Masters title under his belt, may also have a say. And so could Kyrgios, who backed up his run at Wimbledon with a title at the ATP 500 event in Washington. Americans Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz have had solid seasons, and will be buoyed by loud home support to cause an upset or two.

Even at 50% fitness, Nadal will come into the US Open as the favourite. But with Tsitsipas, Medvedev, and Alcaraz all without a major hardcourt title coming into the tournament, and Zverev and Djokovic missing from the draw, more than few surprises can be expected in New York next month.