Alex Mann is back with a look at this past week in tennis where Coric and Garcia ended up winning Masters titles.

This Week in Tennis (34)

The ATP and WTA players battled it out this week at the second consecutive Masters 1000 event in Cincinnati, USA.

Garcia from qualifying to title

Caroline Garcia won her first Masters 1000 title in 5 years as she defeated Petra Kvitova in the women’s singles final, 6-2, 6-4, to lift the trophy.

The Frenchwoman reminded the tennis world why she is a former world number 4, defeating top 10 seeds Maria Sakkari, Jessica Pegula, and Aryna Sabalenka on her way to the final.

In the final, Garcia didn’t allow Kvitova to find her rhythm, coming up with some outstanding shots to save all the break-points she faced.

This wasn’t the only remarkable feature of the qualifier’s dominant performance against Kvitova.

Before the final, Kvitova had won a mesmerizing 29 out of a possible 39 WTA finals she had participated in. But a 30th title wasn’t to be for the Czech this week, but it should give Kvitova confidence leading into the US Open.

Garcia has struggled recently since her singles breakthrough in 2017, but now she looks to be finding her best tennis once again. Can the Frenchwoman continue to climb up the rankings and build upon her impressive season in Flushing Meadows? If you’re into tennis betting, you can place a bet at Betsson in Europe or Bet US in the states.

Caroline Garcia’s racquet

Garcia’s racquet is a Yonex VCORE 100 (click for the Tennisnerd review) that she strings with what looks like natural gut strings in the mains and Yonex Poly Tour Strike crosses. You can check out her gear page on Tennis Warehouse for more of Garcia’s apparel, racquets and strings.

Cincinnati Masters 1000 – Men’s Tournament

Borna Coric picked up the third ATP title of his career, defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-6(7), 6-2 in the final.

It was a fairytale run for Coric, who’d only won a handful of matches all year, and was coming back from a shoulder injury after being sidelined for much of the 2021 season.

The Croat, who reached a career-high of 12 in 2018, dropped just one set this week on his way to his first Masters 1000 final in 4 years.

After a slow start, which saw Tsitsipas take an early advantage, leading 4-1, Coric mounted a swift comeback to take the first set on a tie-break.

The second set was much more straightforward for Coric, using his beaming backhand to hit through Tsitsipas before breaking the Greek’s serve to win the title.

As Tsitsipas hooked a forehand into the tramlines on match-point, a look of disbelief and a smile swept across Coric’s face, realizing what he’d accomplished this week.

If you want to know more about Borna Coric’s new racquet, click the link.

Can Coric take this form into the US Open?

What was most impressive about Coric’s run was the quality of players he beat: Lorenzo Musetti, Rafael Nadal, Roberto Bautista Agut, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Cameron Norrie all fell to the Croat.

This wasn’t Coric’s first win against the 22-time major champion, Rafael Nadal. A 17-year-old Coric shocked Nadal in Basel in 2014 before repeating this two years later at the Cincinnati Masters. Coric then went on to win the ATP Star of Tomorrow award at the end of 2014, and many tipped him to be a future number 1.

Although he hasn’t reached these heights, this win could be a turning point in Coric’s career. He’s now up to 29 in the ATP singles rankings, so will be seeded for the US Open. Do you think he is a contender for the US Open, and can he fulfill his potential?

This week sees the ATP, and WTA players compete for the final time before the US Open.

Last week before the Open

The action occurs in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Cleveland, Ohio in the United States, and Granby in Canada.

Winston-Salem Open (ATP 250)

The defending champion, Ilya Ivashka faces some tough opposition this week. Grigor Dimitrov is the top seed. Up-and-coming players such as Maxime Cressy, Lorenzo Musetti, Emil Ruusuvuori and Jack Draper are also participating.

Prediction – Musetti to win

Tennis in the Land (WTA 250)

Barbora Krejcikova leads the line-up in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. It’s a quick turnaround for Caroline Garcia, who has entered this year’s tournament after an impressive run last week in Cincinnati.

Martina Trevisan, Alize Cornet, Ekaterina Alexandrova and Sofia Kenin are also competing.

Prediction – Krejcikova to win

The Championnats de Granby (WTA 250)

Daria Kasatkina is the top seed in Granby, Canada and faces the likes of Kaja Juvan, Tereza Martincova, and Marta Kostyuk.

Prediction – Kasatkina to win