Borna Coric ends Norrie’s run to set up Cincinnati final with Stefanos Tsitsipas

Borna Coric continued his remarkable comeback from injury, beating Cameron Norrie in straight sets to reach the Western & Southern Open final. The Croatian will face Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final after the Greek defeated Daniil Medvedev in an absorbing three-set battle.

Coric reached his second ATP Masters 1000 final – and his first since undergoing shoulder surgery last year – with a commanding 6-3, 6-4 victory over the British No 1, who offered little resistance against his opponent’s heavy hitting from the baseline.

Norrie, the ninth seed, had beaten rising star Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals and raced into a 3-1 lead here. Coric found his groove to win five straight games and secure the opening set. The current world No 152 has enjoyed a terrific week in Cincinnati, beating Rafael Nadal and Félix Auger-Aliassime on his run to the final four.

Coric kept up that momentum in the second set, clinching eight straight points to take a 4-2 lead before closing out the match to set up a third career meeting with Tsitsipas. “It was a very tough day, a very long day as well,” said Coric after both men’s semi-finals were delayed due to rain.

“At the beginning I was not there, I was not feeling the ball very well. Then I did find my rhythm,” added the 25-year-old, who struck 22 winners in all. “I started to serve better, I started to play much better and I think that was the key to the match.”

In the second semi-final, Tsitsipas edged the world number No 1 Medvedev by a score of 7-6 (6), 3-6, 6-3. The fourth seed saved a set point on his way to winning the opening tie-break but collapsed in stunning fashion in the second set, falling behind 5-0 before fighting back to avoid a bagel.

Tsitsipas had just two wins in nine