One of the leading players of his generation, Borna Coric took another step towards reaching his second ATP World Tour final after he made it to the final four at the Grand Prix Hassan II with a 6-7, 6-3, 6-4 win against Paul-Henri Mathieu.
This was the first glimpse the Moroccan crowd got of the young Croatian as he had a bye in the first round and then a walkover against Simone Bolelli in the second round. A mixture of lack of matches on clay and his opponent’s fine form saw the Croatian having to really dig deep to overcome a match in which Mathieu saved up to 11 of the 14 break points he faced.
“It was a very match obviously. I didn’t feel confident as I had yet to play a match here, so I was a little nervous. I was extremely happy how I played, but I was a little unlucky in the tie-break when I didn’t play well on the important points. I just have to keep fighting“, said Coric after the match.
Coric now faces Jiri Vesely, who has regained his confidence this week in Morocco, after the Czech player surprised number one seed Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-4, 7-6. Vesely put in a commanding performance with six aces and saving all three break points he faced, and most importantly took his break point opportunity to strike a defining blow in the encounter.
Earlier on in the day, 35 year old Montañes rolled back the years to defeat Facundo Bagnis 6-1, 7-5. A victory which not only sees him progress to the semi finals but which should be enough for him to guarantee a main draw spot at Roland Garros, as the cut off for the season’s second grand slam is made on Monday.
“It is always something special to win matches at this level. Getting into the semis here is something I can enjoy and I am really happy. The new venue here is very nice. The hotel is very close and the club is very good, it’s brilliant”, said Montañes to Tennis Tour Talk.
The Spaniard will not take on fellow countryman Pablo Carreño in the semi finals but Federico Delbonis after the Argentine put his opponent to the sword with a 7-5, 6-2 scoreline.
Young, up and coming desire will mix with experience and know-how in the semi finals of Marrakech for what is set up to be a fascinating ending to a wonderful week of tennis in Morocco.
