Chennai Open: Coric sails through, Pavic stuns Almagro

CHENNAI: It was the kind of opening jitters that few were prepared for. Ranked 449, qualifier Ante Pavic sent former World No. 9 Nicholas Almagro packing 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (1) in the opening round of the Chennai Open here on Monday. The No. 73 Spaniard, who has been dogged by injuries and dropped to a lowly 174 in 2014, saved two match points in the third set but couldn't stave off the resilient Croat's challenge in the tie-break, falling behind early and soon giving way.
In the second match, Borna Coric got the better of Marcel Granollers 7-6 (5), 2-6, 6-4. Leading 5-4 in the deciding set, Coric, the youngest player in the top-50, creamed an ace down the middle to go up 40-15. Treating the spectators to a tasty rally thereafter, the 19-year-old's return landed wide to allow Granollers room to worm his way back into the game. Hope was transitory though as Granollers sent a forehand long before Coric wrapped it up with a smash.
Earlier, Almagro, who has reached the French Open quarter-finals thrice, losing on each occasion to eventual champion Rafael Nadal and also made the last eight at the Australian Open in 2013, took the first set with little ado. Just when it seemed things were going to script, Pavic turned the tale on its head. Dishing out some aggressive tennis, Pavic yanked the Spaniard out of his comfort zone.
Pavic said, "The plan was to keep the points short. Longer points, I realized, were going in his favour. So I chose to take risks and come to net more often."
A gritty second-set show was just what turned it into a comeback story. Leading 6-5, Pavic slapped a double-handed backhand into the net at 0-30, making prompt amends with a sumptuous cross-court winner thereafter. A lob which forgot to kiss the paint did a seemingly non-plussed Almagro in, as he trotted off to his chair to prepare himself for the unknown. Elaborating on the crucial break Pavic revealed, "Breaking him in the final game of the second set made me feel I have a chance. I knew he would be coming into the third set slightly nervous. Thankfully things went pretty well for me in the tie-break."