Norris faces Federer for the second time in his career
Borna Coric has rolled back the years with some stunning performances in the tournament. No one will forget his win against the legendary Rafael Nadal in the round of 32. The British No. 1 Cameron Norrie is eyeing his third title in 2022.
After shoulder surgery, the Croatian tennis pro returned to the ATP Tour in March. The former World No. 12 reached the quarterfinals of the German Open and showed signs of resurgence. Coric had a disappointing campaign in Montreal as he looked out of sorts in a 3-6, 2-6 loss against Marin Cilic.
The World No. 152 began his Cincinnati Open campaign with a win with relative ease against German Open champion Lorenzo Musetti. Coric had his task cut out as he faced Rafael Nadal in the round of 32. However, Nadal, returning to action after suffering an abdominal tear, looked far from his best. Take nothing away from Coric though, as he stayed on top of the 22-time Grand Slam champion and didn’t give the Spaniard a sniff. Coric stunned the veteran 7-6 (11-9), 4-6, 6-3. Coric eased past his next two opponents Roberto Bautista Agut and Felix Auger-Aliassime. He defeated both of them in straight sets.
Cameron Norrie has won the Delray Beach Open and the Lyon Open this year. He also reached the final of the recently-concluded Los Cabos Open where he lost to Daniil Medvedev in straight sets. At the Canadian Open that preceded the Cincinnati Masters, Norrie won his first two matches before losing to the home favorite Felix Auger-Aliassime in the round of 16.
At Cincinnati, Norrie has had to grind hard in most of his matches. His first match was against the talented Holger Rune. The 26-year-old won the match 67-6 (7-5), 4-6, 6-4. In the round of 32, Norrie defeated 3-time Grand Slam winner Andy Murray 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. Norrie won his round of 16 match against Ben Shelton comprehensively in straight sets. In the quarterfinal, Norrie faced Carlos Alcaraz who has been on fire in 2022. In a closely-fought affair, the southpaw got the better of the Spaniard 7-6 (7-4), 6-7(4-7), 6-4.
The head-to-head score currently stands at a deadlock at 1-1.
Coric will be confident after his exploits during the course of the tournament but Norrie might just get the better of him in a tight encounter.
Prediction: Cameron Norrie to win in three sets.
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