MASON, Ohio — Borna Coric made history Saturday after defeating No. 9 Cameron Norrie in straight sets 6-3, 6-4 to reach the Western & Southern Open final.
Ranked No. 152 with a protected injury ranking, Coric is the lowest seed to ever reach the finals in Cincinnati.
The Croatian faces a tall order on Sunday against world No. 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas, who defeated top-ranked Daniil Medvedev 7-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the featured semifinal match on center court.
Tsitsipas reached the semifinals for the third straight year, but it’s his first final after losing in the semis each of the past two years. Tsitsipas defeated Medvedev for the third time in ten meetings.
Coric says he’s realistic about his chances on Sunday.
“He’s a big favorite in the final tomorrow, obviously,” Coric said. “I’ve done everything that I could this week. More than I expected. I’m just going to go out there and enjoy myself tomorrow.”
The Associated Press contributed to this story.