Croatian Borna Coric has saved six match points as he rallied from 5-1 down in the fourth set to stun Stefanos Tsitsipas in a five-set boilover at the US Open.
In the sort of late drama that would on any other year have had the Flushing Meadows crowd baying for more, Coric staged a remarkable comeback at an empty Louis Armstrong Stadium to prevail 6-7 (2-7) 6-4 4-6 7-5 7-6 (7-4) and advance to the round of 16.
The gritty 27th seed had looked down for the count when Tsitsipas twice served for the match in the fourth set but the 22-year-old Greek faltered with victory in his grasp.
Coric again had to come from a break down in the fifth but looked indefatigable even after four and a half hours on court and secured a famous victory over the fourth seed on his second match point.
“I just have to be honest and have to say that I was real lucky,” Coric said.
“At 5-4, I think he was 40-0 … it was just pure luck.
“I just made some unbelievable returns and yeah, I was a bit lucky in the end.”
Coric will face unseeded Australian Jordan Thompson next with both chasing a maiden grand slam quarter-final appearance.
Tsitsipas, who won the ATP Finals at the end of last season and targeted a maiden major title this year, showcased his athleticism and shot-making in bursts throughout the contest.
He might have been able to see off his opponent earlier had he been able to put sustained pressure on the Croatian’s serve but looked to have the match in the bag when he broke to win the third set and then won five of the next six games.
“In the third and fourth sets he was playing unbelievable tennis and I felt I had absolutely no chance,” Coric said.
“(After that) I played some unbelievable points and he also dropped his level a little bit.”
Coric, one of four players to test positive for COVID-19 after playing on the ill-fated Adria Tour earlier this year, said the long layoff during the coronavirus shutdown had helped him recover from a series of niggly injuries.
“I decided to take those five months as some kind of preparation,” he said.
