MARIN CILIC & BORNA CORIC LEAD CROATIA TO A 2-0 LEAD OVER AMERICA IN DAVIS CUP • RESULTS

Written by: Staff on 15th September 2018

MARIN CILIC & BORNA CORIC LEAD CROATIA TO A 2-0 LEAD OVER AMERICA IN DAVIS CUP • RESULTS

epa07019993 Marin Cilic of Croatia in action during his match against Frances Tiafoe of USA for the Davis Cup semi final tie between Croatia and the USA in Zadar, Croatia, 14 September 2018. EPA-EFE/ANTONIO BAT |

Marin Cilic of Croatia in action during his match against Frances Tiafoe of USA for the Davis Cup semi final tie between Croatia and the USA in Zadar, Croatia, 14 September 2018. EPA-EFE/ANTONIO BAT

The Croatian ‘Dream Team’ proved to be that in reality on Friday, living up to its captain’s praise by taking a 2-0 lead over the U.S. in the Davis Cup Semifinals with straight-sets victories from world No. 6 Marin Cilic and No. 18 Borna Coric on a temporary red clay court in Zadar. It was great to see the FILA clothes they made for Marin. We Loved the shirt. Way to go Marty !

Coric led off with a 6-4, 7-6(4), 6-3 win over No. 31 Steve Johnson, then Cilic defeated Frances Tiafoe, 6-1, 6-3, 7-6(5), in the 20-year old American’s Davis Cup debut. The wins give Croatia a lead the U.S. has come back from only once in 41 tries, but an 0-2 lead is precisely what Croatia came back from to win in the last meeting between these two countries, in the 2016 Quarterfinals.

The 21-year old Coric played a poised match against Johnson, who became the top-ranked singles player nominated for the U.S. this weekend after Jack Sock was forced to sit out with a hip injury. Coric made 34 of 35 second serves and won 66 percent of his second-serve points, as compared to Johnson’s 32-percent clip.

The 2014 US Open champion was too much for the Davis Cup rookie in the second match, fighting off second- and third-set surges from the Maryland native to the tune of a 6-1, 6-3, 7-6(5) victory.

The U.S. will now rely on world doubles No.1 Mike Bryan and No. 54 Ryan Harrison to extend the tie in Saturday’s doubles. Though it’s a first-time pairing, the two Americans have substantial individual doubles success on which to rely. Bryan is an 18-time Grand Slam doubles champion and the U.S. Davis Cup team’s all-time winningest doubles player, at 26-5, while Harrison won the 2017 French Open doubles title and helped clinch both of the U.S.’s First-Round and Quarterfinal victories this year.

They’re paired against Croatian Davis Cup veteran Ivan Dodig and world doubles No. 4 Mate Pavic. Dodig and Pavic are 12-6 together all-time but have only played one Davis Cup doubles match together, a four-set loss to Andy Murray and Colin Fleming in 2013. Should Krajan decide to substitute a player or players for Saturday, which each captain can do up to one hour before the match, Dodig and Cilic are 5-2 together in Davis Cup doubles and are the pair that sparked Croatia’s comeback win over the U.S. in 2016.

Tennis Channel will air Saturday’s doubles match live at 2 p.m. local • 8 a.m. Eastern time in America

ORDER OF PLAY / RESULTS

Friday

Borna Coric (CRO) d. Steve Johnson (USA), 6-4, 7-6(4), 6-3

Marin Cilic (CRO)d. Frances Tiafoe (USA), 6-1, 6-4, 7-6(5)

Saturday, 2 p.m./8 a.m. ET (eastern time U.S.)

Mike Bryan/Ryan Harrison (USA) v. Ivan Dodig/Mate Pavic (CRO)

Sunday, 11 a.m./5 a.m. ET (eastern time USA)

Steve Johnson (USA) v. Marin Cilic (CRO)

Frances Tiafoe (USA) v. Borna Coric (CRO)

Topics: 10sballs, Atp, Borna Coric, Croatia, Davis Cup, Marin Cilic, Sports, Tennis