Rafael Nadal and Borna Coric will be squaring off for the third time in their careers when they battle for a place in the Western & Southern Open quarterfinals on Thursday afternoon. They have split their two previous encounters; Coric pulled off a 6-2, 7-6(4) upset on the indoor hard courts of Basel in 2014 before Nadal got the job done 6-3, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 in round one of last summer’s U.S. Open.
Like he did in Basel, Coric may be facing a less-than-1o0 percent opponent in this one. Nadal, of course, is coming off an energy-sapping week at the Rio Olympics. The fifth-ranked Spaniard played 11 total matches, capturing gold in men’s doubles with Marc Lopez before finishing in fourth place in singles. Three days after losing to Kei Nishikori in the bronze-medal showdown, Nadal won his Cincinnati opener 6-1, 7-6(4) over Pablo Cuevas.
“I think I played well,” the third seed commented. “I think I played a good match against a tough opponent in the first round for me for sure. “After coming from Rio and after the marathon that I had, it’s a very important victory for me. So I’m very happy.”
Coric is through to the last 16 following three-set victories over Benoit Paire and Nick Kyrgios. After overcoming Paire 1-6, 6-3, 6-4, the 19-year-old Croat saved one match point to upset Kyrgios 7-6(2), 4-6, 7-6(6) on Wednesday night. This marks just the second time in his last nine events in which Coric has won back-to-back matches.
Current form suggests that Kyrgios–the recent Atlanta champion–would have had a better chance against Nadal in this one. More important, though, is the stylistic matchup. Kyrgios is capable of hitting the former world No. 1 off the court, especially amidst the fast conditions of Cincinnati, with his booming serve and huge forehand. Coric, on the other hand, is a counter-puncher who will be content to engage in baseline rallies. Unless Nadal shows more fatigue than he did against Cuevas, that plan will not work for Coric.
Pick: Nadal in 2
[polldaddy poll=9500032]
I was fortunate to see the great Carl Lewis. There was nobody else like him back then. True greatness.
It is hard to compare athletes across the generations as we try to do in tennis. I just celebrate the greats in each era. We are fortunate to be able to see them compete.
Exactly NNY. How easily we crown someone as greatest now but forget what greatness we had in the past.
Carl Lewis not just run but also did long jumps and he was more impressive in his long jumps than in his runs.
We talk about athletes as if they only run but forget that there are also others who do the field events like long jumps, high jumps or pole vault for examples.
Lucky,
Thanks so much for your response! Needless to say, I am in complete agreement with you! ?
I appreciate you bringing up Carl Lewis also being a great long jumper!
We cannot forget those who came before and set the bar so high for those who followed!
How many times did Carl lose? Bolt? 9-0. GOAT without question.
Lost what? He didnt lose in long jump! In fact he had been winning in long jumps for a decade with a long winning streak! His records still stand and he won his last gold in long jump.at age 35! Im not sure Bolt would still be winning at age 35!
Lucky is right. The true test of greatness is if an athlete’s record stand the test of time. Lewis has records that have stood the test of time. No one can take that away from him.
It’s too bad that some can only see what is rght in front of them abd don’t respect those who have come before. There is no need to dismiss Carl Lewis because of what Usain Bolt did.
Bolt won the triple (100 200 and 4 × 100) 3 times. Carl roid Lewis only did it once in 1984 when USSR boycotted. No comparison.
Bolt only lost 1 time in the Olympics. When he went injured as a 17 year old in 2004. Undefeated since. Carl Lewis was never close to this level of dominance. He plans on this being his last Olympics. There is something to be said about going out on top.
We are talking about greatness not just in running or sprinting. Bolt only runs whilst Carl Lewis runs and jumps!
Carl Lewis managed to win 4 consecutive long jump Olympic Gold medals, how many can do that? Also, he’s still the record holder of indoor long jump record, which is really impressive considering many years have past and that record still stands.
One more example. Last night he was a 103:1 favorite to win the 200. None other.
Speaking of greatest athletes Ashley Eaton, who just won his 2nd gold for the decathlon – those guys used to be considered the best athletes since they compete in a variety of athletic disciplines – said he considered tennis to be the next most demanding sport. I read it on Tennis.com, which took it from Inside Business (or something like that). Eaton said that people underestimate the mental part of sport and he considered tennis one of the most demanding both physically and mentally. Probably true these days, although I would never have listed John McEnroe among greatest athletes. 🙂
Hey ricky, are you in cincy. I am at the garbine match