Sometimes in tennis one can’t even say, why the one wins and the other loses, even after 2:54 hours of play. Borna Coric probably doesn’t know why he has got to the quarter finals. The title-defender at the NOVENTI OPEN was very close to being kicked out of the tournament by Joao Sousa 7:6(4), 5:7, 7:6(4). Now, however, he is through to the quarter finals, after a real tennis fight on grass, where he will now meet Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert.
Under the eyes of coach Ricardo Piatti Coric played well and solidly, but his opponent, who was not able to get further than the first round in Halle in the previous three years, did the same. A difference between the two world’s no. 14 and 71, which you would have expected, could not be seen.
When Borna Coric played his first match as an 18-year-old on the grass in Halle in 2015, it didn’t look as though he would ever win the tournament. But the Croatian, now 22, has learned a lot. He doesn’t play typical grass tennis (but who does?), but plays nearly the same on grass as on any other surface. Powerful and precise from the baseline. Very quick, with a strong service. And all of this is enough to play right at the front on the green. He showed this went he defeated Roger Federer 2018 in Halle. And also in s’Hertogenbosch where he reached the semi-finals.
But Joao Sousa has also many capabilities. And he unpacked all of them, first of all his dangerous returns. There were only few break points in the match. The deciding ones should have been the ones in the seventh game of the third set for the Portuguese. But he wasted all three.
The spectators, who stayed to watch the match in the Gerry Weber Stadion until 9:30 p.m. were rewarded by seeing the best rally of the match right at the end. A very quick never-ending rally, which brought Coric the victory. “This match should have two winners, for sure” the title-defender said. By the way, it wasn't the longest match in the tournament history by far. That was played by Cedric-Marcel Stebe and Leonardo Mayer in 2011. They enjoyed 3:42 hours of tennis.
