Cincinnati Flashback: Rafael Nadal suffers heavy loss to Borna Coric

The 2015 season was one of Rafael Nadal's worst in terms of his performance at Majors, failing to win the title for the first time since 2004. The Spaniard had some reliable results in the season's closing events, but that was not enough for more than three titles, hoping for a better run in 2016. Struggling with injuries, Rafa claimed titles in Monte Carlo and Barcelona that year. However, he was nowhere near his usual form, losing the Roland Garros crown for the second straight year and missing Wimbledon due to an injury. Returning at the Olympic Games in Rio in August, the Spaniard earned the gold medal in the men's doubles with Marc Lopez and used a favorable draw to advance into the semi-final in singles. He suffered a heartbreaking loss to Juan Martin del Potro after over three hours and left Rio without a singles medal following the third-place battle defeat to Kei Nishikori.

Losing energy, Nadal went to Cincinnati without high hopes, beating Pablo Cuevas in the second round to set the clash against the young gun Borna Coric. An inspired Croat toppled the Spaniard 6-1, 6-3 in 72 minutes in the third round, becoming the first U20 player in the Masters 1000 quarter-final since Juan Martin del Potro in Paris 2008!

Rafael Nadal won just four games against Borna Coric in Cincinnati 2016.

Not looking good after already a couple of games (he had to receive the medical timeout after the opener), Nadal suffered the most brutal Masters 1000 loss since Paris 2007, barely hitting ten winners and spraying 30 errors. Borna had lost the previous ten matches against the rivals from the top-10 before improving his tally against Rafa following a solid performance from start to finish. Coric grabbed over half of the return points, while Nadal lost 14 out of 16 points after missing the first serve!

Making one mistake after another, Rafa could not challenge the young rival from the baseline, receiving treatment on his left arm and shoulder following the opening set that he lost in 27 minutes. Nadal started to crumble after a promising opening service game, dropping ten straight games and losing the edge on both serve and return. At the end of Coric's streak, Rafa had miserable four winners and 24 unforced errors, which we see only once in a couple of years in his encounters. Fighting until the end, Nadal pulled one break back in the second set's fifth game, although it was not enough for a complete turnaround, as they both served well in the remaining games. Serving for the victory at 5-3, Borna held after deuce with a backhand down the line winner to secure one of his career's most significant triumphs and advance into the last eight.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2WhtuAN