fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas leading world number one Daniel 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 5-0 before narrowly avoiding a bagel.
But the Greek, who had just two wins in nine matches against Medvedev before the encounter, raised his game in the decider and beat the US Open champion 3-2 before comfortably serving the match with a exquisite net game.
Sunday will be Tsitsipas’ first final appearance in Cincinnati and his fifth overall in 2022.
Coric reached his second ATP Masters 1000 final – and first since undergoing shoulder surgery last year – with an impressive performance against Norrie, who offered little resistance against heavy hitting of his opponent from the baseline.
Britain’s ninth seed Norrie started brightly and took a 3-1 lead before Coric found his stride to win five straight and secure the first set.
“It was a very difficult day, a very long day too,” Coric said after the men’s semi-finals were delayed due to rain.
“At first I wasn’t there, I didn’t feel the ball very well. Then I found my rhythm. I started to serve better, I started to play a lot better and I think it’s was the key to the game.”
Coric, who hit 22 winners in all, kept his momentum going in the second set, picking up eight straight points to take a 4-2 lead before closing the match to set up a third career meeting with Tsitsipas.
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