Croatian Ćorić, the world No. 152, became the lowest-ranked player to win a Masters 1000 title after beating fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-6 6-2.
The victory earned Ćorić the first Masters 1000 title of his career – he lost his only previous Masters 1000 final to Novak Djokovic in 2018 – and marked a triumphant comeback after a difficult year.
Previously ranked 12th in the world, Ćorić missed much of 2021 due to a shoulder injury and fell in the rankings, but will now move up to 29th in the world thanks to his victory.
The 25-year-old was also cut out to win his title, having to defeat Rafael Nadal, Roberto Bautista Agut, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Cameron Norrie en route to the final.
“Thank you to my parents, who are not there, to my sister and to my team,” Ćorić said during his on-court interview, per ATP. “It was very hard for us.
“With my physio, if I didn’t have it, I wouldn’t be on the court. Then, of course, to my tennis coach, Mate. We worked really hard and now we’re here.”
In the women’s final, Garcia became the first qualifier to win a WTA 1000 title with her 6-2 6-4 win over two-time Grand Slam champion Petra Kvitova.
After struggling in qualifying, Garcia then had to beat Maria Sakkari, Aryna Sabalenka and Jessica Pegula – all ranked in the top 10 in the world – to reach the final.
The victory in Cincinnati is the third WTA 1000 title of Garcia’s career – and 10th overall – and the victory moves her from 35th in the world to 17th place.
“Pure joy… just happiness,” Garcia told reporters, according to the WTA. “Every win is very important. Every title is very special, 250, 1000, it’s always very hard to describe. It doesn’t happen that often and you really have to take advantage of it.
“I’m really grateful for this great week of tennis, and winning another title is very special. Every match, every day was a new day, a new challenge. Every time I had to focus on myself, about my game, what can I do, how can I be more aggressive, how can I improve.
“Just one day at a time, I found myself here today in the final and now I’m lifting the trophy.”
