TipResumen

PREVIEW

Two of the best up and coming younger players on the ATP Tour meet in the First Round of the Cincinnati Masters on Tuesday. Both Daniil Medvedev and Borna Coric played in the new Next Gen Finals at the end of the 2017 season, but it is Coric who has kicked on and moved up the World Ranking to a significant level that he has direct entry into every big tournament being played on the Tour. It has been a little more difficult for Medvedev who has had to come through the Qualifiers in both the Canadian and Cincinnati Masters, but the young Russian is playing so well that he has managed to do that. No one should assume it is easy to win a couple of Qualifiers at this level to get into the main draw of the Masters events so Medvedev has to be respected for coming through to enter the First Round. The numbers have been good on the hard courts for Medvedev which makes him a dangerous opponent on this surface. His serve is an important shot for him, but the problem has come from the return of serve over the last couple of years as that has prevented Medvedev from really getting some consistent results put together. Medvedev has played well since the move onto the hard courts last month and he has won eight of the ten matches he has played in Washington, Toronto and here in Cincinnati. I think he will enjoy what have been quicker conditions in Cincinnati over the years, but Medvedev is in for a big challenge to beat Borna Coric who has really improved in leaps and bounds on the hard courts in 2018. The 13-6 record on the surface may not highlight that, but Coric has maintained the strong serving he showed in 2017 and now added to it by really improving on the return side of his game. It has long been considered that Coric will be one of the top players on the Tour but he is beginning to show that he is ready to fulfil his potential as he grows into his body. It is the return side of the game where Coric looks to have a real edge over Medvedev and I think that may be the important factor in the match. If the young Croatian can continue to find the plays to get into rallies I think he will break down Medvedev with a little more consistency off the ground and I will look for Coric to move through to the Second Round here with a win and cover.



PREDICTION

Back the favourite to win and also earn the cover in this one.

Good Luck