By Chris Oddo | Friday, October 24, 2014
Borna Coric notched the biggest win of his career--again--in Basel on Friday, taking down Rafael Nadal in straight sets.
Photo Source: AFP
Borna Coric notched a massive upset at the Swiss Indoors Basel on Friday, taking down 14-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal in straight sets, 6-2, 7-6(4), for his first career top five win.
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Coric, 17, was playing in his second career ATP quarterfinal and his 14th career ATP match. He took advantage of very sluggish form from Nadal in the early going to race out to a 5-0 lead in the opening set.
Nadal, who committed 19 unforced errors against only one winner in that first set, would avoid the bagel by winning two consecutive games to draw within 5-2, but Coric would clinch the set with a service winner down the T on his third set point.
The Spaniard picked up his level in the second set but he never reached his optimal form, particularly on the forehand side.
Coric found himself in trouble when he netted a makeable volley at 3-4 in the second set to hand Nadal a break point, but the youngster quickly stiffened his resolve and showed his maturity, serving an ace on the next point and finishing the game off when Nadal sprayed a forehand several meters wide of the sideline.
Coric would earn a break point in the very next game, but Nadal was up to the task, scorching a forehand winner after a big serve to keep Coric at bay.
But in the tiebreaker, Nadal lacked the ferocious punch and shotmaking alacrity that he is known for, and Coric, sensing the momentous opportunity before him, bristled with energy for the task at hand. He reeled off five of the final six points, including the final three to clinch the colossal victory.
Coric is set to break the ATP’s top 100 for the first time as a result of the victory. He will face Belgium’s David Goffin in the Basel semifinals on Saturday.
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Nadal announced his withdrawal from next week’s Paris Masters before the match. He is expected to undergo surgery for appendicitis and will likely miss the rest of the season.
Coric broke the top 200 in July. He won his maiden Grand Slam match at this year’s US Open.