Alexander Zverev and Borna Coric will be squaring off for the fifth time in their careers when they battle for a spot in the U.S. Open semifinals on Tuesday afternoon.
Coric leads the head-to-head series 3-1, including 1-0 at the U.S. Open. They faced each other in the 2017 second round, with the Croat pulling off a 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(1), 7-6(4) upset–which also came when Zverev was a considerable favorite in his entire half of the draw (Djokovic and Federer were out, while Nadal was on the other side).
Zverev is starting to deal with Grand Slam pressure better than he had previously, but the jury is nonetheless still out when it comes to his ability to navigate the second week of slam. His current form is also a bit suspect, even though he looked good for the most part throughout week one of the fortnight. At the Cincinnati Masters, the world No. 7 double-faulted his way to a setback against Andy Murray–who is quite clearly still less than 100 percent.
Aside from Djokovic’s historic exit, Coric still being alive is probably the second-most surprising aspect of this tournament. That is not to say he doesn’t deserve it; rather, it was simply shocking that he survived the situation that was before him last Friday. The 23-year-old trailed Stefanos Tsitsipas by two sets to love and 5-1 in the fourth before saving six match points and storming back to triumph in a fifth-set tiebreaker–surely the match of the tournament so far. A straight-set beatdown of Jordan Thompson two days later was just what the doctor ordered, as a very quick day at the office means Coric’s physical reserves are restored.
Coric knows from past history that this is a matchup he can win, and he is now playing even better than he was the previous times he defeated Zverev. With more pressure on the German, it is hard to see his serve standing up for five sets against a returner and counter-puncher of Coric’s quality.
Pick: Coric in 5
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What was with Zverev? He showed up on court looking like his dog had died. He played horribly for the first two games and I decided that life’s too short to waste it watching this. He’s eked out the 2nd set in the TB though so maybe he’s perked up some. He really needed Rafa and Roger screaming at him – “Fist pumps!! I wanna see f***ing fist pumps after every f***ing point!” and “NO ONE NEGATIVE FACE!”