Donna Vekic and Borna Coric each scored their second straight-sets United Cup win in as many matches on Monday in Perth. Vekic’s defeat of Alize Cornet and Coric’s victory against Arthur Rinderknech gave Team Croatia a 2-0 lead against Team France in their crucial Group F clash.
Her 6-4, 6-3 win was Vekic’s second in a row against Cornet on Australian soil: the pair had notched one win apiece against each other, but their most recent encounter had gone to Vekic 6-4, 6-2 in the second round of the 2020 Australian Open.
The straightforward scoreline belied the tightness of the contest, a classic stylistic contrast between power and defence that saw the pair repeatedly embroiled in multi-deuce tussles. Teeing off with her forehand at every opportunity, Vekic landed 34 winners compared to Cornet’s 13 — but the latter was not as watertight as she could have been, also committing 20 unforced errors.
The key to Vekic’s win was the 22-year-old’s resilience in coming through the most difficult moments of the match. She chased down a Cornet dropshot to seize the first break of the match for 2-1, then fended off two break points to consolidate her lead.
Up a double break at 4-1, Vekic had to fend off a valiant comeback attempt from Cornet, who held four break points to level at 4-4. But Vekic navigated through seven deuces for a crucial hold and went on to close out the set as Cornet sent a backhand long.
Having scored an immediate break in the first game of the second set, Vekic held her lead through to the end of the match. The sixth game was key here as the former WTA No.19 came through four deuces, saving one break point with a bold drive volley, to hold for 4-2.
“I had a very difficult opponent,” said Vekic. “There was a lot more pressure, and to be the first one opening the tie is quite tricky. But I’m pleased with my level of tennis — it was a good match overall. I’m not very good at starting the year well, so this is really important for me to get some confidence heading into the Australian Open.”
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There were no such problems for Coric on the singles court on Monday evening when he followed Vekic on to RAC Arena to take on Rinderknech. The Croatian stayed cool under pressure to dominate both tie-breaks in his 7-6(1), 7-6(2) victory and place his team in a commanding position in the tie heading into Tuesday’s action.
“It feels great, obviously,” said Coric after the match. “I was very happy with my performance. I thought I was serving very well and in the first set, when I lost the break, I stayed calm so that was very important for me. I’m just very happy with the win and to get the point for my team.”
Coric kept his composure in the first-set tie-break after having let slip a 5-3 lead in the opening set, producing a sublime series of returns to nullify some typically powerful serving from Rinderknech. The 26-year-old, who lifted his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati in 2022, produced a similarly high-level tie-break in the second set to seal a one-hour, 53-minute victory.
With the winner of this tie progressing to the City Final in Perth, Petra Martic and Borna Gojo will both have the opportunity to secure Team Croatia’s passage to the next round on Tuesday in their singles matches against Caroline Garcia and Adrian Mannarino, respectively. Should neither secure victory, however, the decisive tie will come down to the mixed doubles and Coric is ready to take to court once more for his team, should the call come.
“Of course, [me playing] is always an option, we need to see how everything goes,” he said. “I will speak with the team and we will see how everything goes.”
His fellow singles winner Vekic was less confident that it would be her teaming up with her childhood friend Coric on Tuesday, however.
“We had a mixed practice and we played pretty bad,” she joked after her win against Cornet. “So, I don’t know if it’s going to be us playing — not just tomorrow, but ever!”