Coric springs surprise in first Grand Slam match

27 August 2014 09:24

Borna Coric, one year removed from his US Open junior title, made a victorious return to Flushing Meadows Tuesday with a win in the first Grand Slam match of his career.

The 17-year-old Croatian, who came through qualifying to earn his main draw spot, was a convincing 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 winner over 29th-seeded Czech Lukas Rosol -- who claimed his second career ATP title at Winston-Salem last week.

The upset put Coric into a second-round clash with history-making Victor Estrella Burgos, the Dominican Republic's first Grand Slam participant who is making his US Open debut at 34.

Estrella Burgos has had a bumpy ride since turning pro 12 years ago. He took a break from competition to try coaching, returning to tournament play in 2006, first on the Futures circuit and then on the developmental Challenger level.

A right elbow injury had him thinking about retirement in 2012, but his perseverance paid off when a Challenger Tour win in Ecuador in March saw him break into the top 100 in the world rankings.

Source: AFP