Coric ends Federer's winning run on grass

Jun 25, 2018 06:00 am

Borna Coric ended Roger Federer's 20-match winning streak on grass, beating him 7-6 (8/6), 3-6, 6-2 in yesterday's Halle Open final, while also ending the Swiss maestro's reign as world No. 1.

Federer was denied a 10th title in the German grass-court tournament as the 21-year-old Croat handed him his first setback on an otherwise serene road towards his Wimbledon title defence.

Federer's loss meant that Rafael Nadal will return to the top of the world rankings today.

Coric, playing in his first grass-court final, showed great mental toughness and determination to fend off two set-points before clinching the opening set after 57 minutes.

Federer, 36, responded by applying further pressure on Coric's serve in the second set before converting a break-point in the eighth game to force a decider.

Coric then broke Federer in the sixth game of the final set when the Swiss sliced a backhand long, before claiming only his second ATP title.