WHAT HAPPENED: The shocking default of top-seeded and presumptive men’s favorite Novak Djokovic will forever be the biggest story of Day 7 on Sunday at the US Open.
However, with much less fanfare and commotion, Borna Coric kept on writing his own tournament headlines with a workman 7-5, 6-1, 6-3 win over Australian Jordan Thompson and a spot in the US Open quarterfinals.
This is the first Grand Slam quarterfinal for the 23-year-old Croatian, ranked No. 27, and a step further than his previous best fourth-round showing in Flushing Meadows in 2018. His better-known countryman Marin Cilic made the quarterfinals here in 2018 and won his only Grand Slam title here in 2014.
"I been waiting for the last five months for this tournament," Coric said of the forced shutdown of the tour due to the global pandemic. "I am very happy that all of my hard work is paying off."
This match had none of the drama or excitement of his previous appearance in Louis Armstrong Stadium when he pulled off the great escape of the tournament by fending off six match points to knock off fourth-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas in a marathon five-setter.
This was an economical two hours and eight minutes against the gritty unseeded Australian, who struggled to find his form from the opening stages of the match.
"I played some really great tennis," said Coric.
While the right-hander had matching 31 winners and errors, he also broke serve six times and only lost his serve once. Thompson, one of two Australians still in the tournament, was off-form. He made 36 errors and managed just 55 percent of his first serves.
Thompson was agitated from the early stages of the match. In the third game,he slammed a ball on the court after dropping serve. In the third game in the second set, he took his cap off and angrily threw it on the court when he again lost serve.
WHAT IT MEANS: Obviously, Djokovic’s unexpected exit changes the entire complexion of the tournament entering the second week—and means that a first-time Grand Slam champion will definitely be crowned.
But the way to the final for Coric is still a treacherous one, and up next is the talented and highly touted No. 5 seed Alexander Zverev, the 2020 Australian Open semifinalist. The German also cruised into the quarterfinals earlier in the day dropping just five games.
However, Coric can be buoyed going into the match knowing that he holds a 3-1 advantage in head-to-head meetings. He won the most recent match in Halle in 2018 but more importantly beat Zverev here in the second round in 2017.
"It will be a great match as always," said Coric. "I have seen some of his matches here and he is playing some of his best tennis of his life now."
MATCH POINT: Coric knows how to win at Flushing Meadows, lifting the US Open junior singles trophy in 2013. Will he be holding the men’s trophy next Sunday?
