By Richard Pagliaro | Thursday, March 23, 2017
Borna Coric converted his fourth match point fighting off Marcel Granollers in two hours, 51 minutes.
Photo credit: Miami Open
Down a break in the final set, Borna Coric endured the pressure of a potential fifth opening-round exit this season.
Coric faced the heat in Miami, while his father, Damir, was doing the heavy sweating in the stands.
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In a wild Miami Open opener, Coric used a five-game run to take charge of the final set only to tighten severely blowing three straight match points.
By then, his dad was perspiring so profusely his shirt was completely soaked.
Coric calmed his nerve converting his fourth match point to complete a heart-racing 7-6 (6), 4-6, 6-3 victory over veteran Marcel Granollers in two hours, 51 minutes.
It was a much-needed victory for the 20-year-old Croatian, who has not won back-to-back matches this season after undergoing season-ending right knee surgery last September.
The 30-year-old Granollers converted his lone break point to snatch the second set then broke Coric to start the decider opening up a 2-0 lead.
Hitting with more depth in crosscourt rallies, Coric began his comeback. Granollers completely lost the range on his forehand as Coric streaked toward the finish line.
Serving for the match at 5-3, 40-Love, Coric endured a mini melt down.
It began when Coric sprayed an inside-out forehand on his first match point. He badly bungled a backhand volley missing the open court on his second match point.
Drawing a routine short ball on match point number three the Croatian tapped a timid forehand drop shot into net.
Seeing his opponent wilting, Granollers gained a break point but could not convert.
Coric ended a long forehand-to-forehand exchange sliding a forehand drop shot winner for a fourth match point.
If all the nervous tension wasn’t enough drama, chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani hit Coric with a time violation warning telling him “you went way over.”
When a final Granollers forehand the missed mark, Coric exhaled in relief and looked up at the sky grateful for a rocky closing.
Coric advanced to a second-round encounter with No. 6-seeded Dominic Thiem. It will be the first professional meeting between two young talents.
It was a day of drama as two matches were decided in third-set tie breaks.
Damir Dzumhur edged Hyeon Chung, 3-6, 7-1, 7-6 (1). Dzumhur, who upset Rafael Nadal in Miami last March, will play 12th-seeded Nick Kyrgios next.
Argentine Diego Schwartzman fought off Karen Khachanov, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (4), in a match watched by former French Open champion Gaston Gaudio. Schwartzman set up a second-round clash with 27th-seeded David Ferrer.
Russian wild card Andrey Rublev needed just 44 minutes to dismiss Florian Mayer, 6-1, 6-1, and earn a second-round date with Tomas Berdych.
Former world No. 5 Tommy Robredo scored his second win of the season stopping Nikoloz Basilashvili, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2. Robredo, who is coming off minor foot surgery earlier this season, plays Acapulco champion Sam Querrey next.