September 3, 2020 - Petra Martic and Borna Coric are the first Croatian representatives to advance to the US Open's third round. Donna Vekic and Marin Cilic will play in the second round today.

Petra Martic was the first of the Croatian representatives to advance to the 3rd round of the US Open, after defeating Ukrainian Katerina Bondarenko (349th on the WTA list) in the 2nd round on Wednesday without any major problems. Martic celebrated 6:3, 6:4.

Petra was especially dominant at the beginning of the first set, where she quickly took a 5:1 lead. Bondarenko reduced it to 5:3, but couldn't do more than that.

The second set was far more uncertain and was decided after a break in the 10th game. Martic scored eight aces with a first-serve percentage of 64 percent and used only four of 16 break points.

To advance to the round of 16, she will play against Russian Varvara Gracheva, the 102nd-best player on the WTA list. They played recently in the 1st round of the WTA tournament in Prague, where Petra was better in two sets.

Borna Coric also advanced to the third round of the US Open and thus surpassed last year's result when he was forced to hand over the match to Grigor Dimitrov due to injury in the second round.

After a smooth victory in three sets against Pablo Andujar, Coric faced Juan Ignacio Londero. The match started with an early exchange of breaks, and the next came at 5:5 when Borna took the Argentine's serve and soon took the set with 7:5.

In the second set, Londero was the one who had the initiative, but at the end of the set, Borna returned and reduced the score to 5:4. Instead of directing the set towards a tie-break, he lost the next service game and automatically the set with 6:4.

In the third set, Borna missed too much. He started great and took a 4-1 lead, and instead of routinely doing the job and taking a 2-1 lead in sets, he allowed Londero to come back, and the Argentine took the set in a tie-break.

Coric was much more concentrated in the next two sets. In the fourth, he broke Londero twice and took the set with 6:2, and in the fifth, he broke in the fourth game, which was enough to advance to the next round. 

Coric will have a much harder job in the third round when he faces Stefanos Tsitsipas. 

Croatia's second female representative Donna Vekic passed the first round of the US Open. The Osijek native and 18th seed defeated Czech Kristyna Plišková (66th on the WTA list) - 3:6, 7:6 (6), 6:4.

Pliškova was close to victory; after winning the first set, in the second, she took the 5:3 lead, and at 5:4, she served for the match. Donna still managed to celebrate in the tie-break of the second set.

In the third set, she managed to find a way to succeed after a break in the ninth game. During the match, she scored six aces (Pliškova 16) with a first-serve percentage of 57 percent and used three of the eight break points. In the second round, she will play against Romanian Patricia Maria Tig, the world's 88th-best tennis player.

It took three hours and 33 minutes for Marin Cilic (ATP - 38th) to beat American Denis Kudla (ATP - 111th), which he reached after his opponent led 2-0 in sets and had a 5:3 lead in the third set. Cilic celebrated 6:7 (3), 3:6, 7:5, 7:5, 6:3. It was the eighth turnaround of this sort in Cilic's career, half of which occurred at the US Open, where he is playing for the 12th time.

Marin Cilic will play Slovak tennis player Norbert Gombos (104th on ATP list) in the second round on Thursday. 

Ivo Karlovic finished his performance at his 17th US Open. The 41-year-old from Zagreb was stopped in the first round by the Frenchman Richard Gasquet (51st on the ATP list) - 7: 6 (0), 7: 6 (4), 6:1.

Ivo missed his opportunity to do something more in this match in the second set in which he reached his only break in the duel, and later a 5:3 advantage. Still, Gasquet returned in the 10th game, and the story once again went to a tie-break in which the Frenchman took the 2-0 lead.

Ivo gave up in the third set. After the initial 1:1, the Frenchman went to victory with a large series. Ivo achieved 20 aces during the match with a first-serve percentage of 57 percent, and used one of six break points.

Of the three Croatian representatives in doubles who played in the 1st round of the US Open on Wednesday, Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic made their way further.

Mektic and Dutchman Wesley Koolhof (8th seed) celebrated at the start against Serbian Nikola Cacic and Indian Divi Sharan (6:4, 3:6, 6:3), while Pavic and Brazilian Bruno Soares (5th seed) topped Spaniard Marcel Granollers and Argentine Horace Zeballos - 3:6, 6:4, 6:4.

Franko Skugor and American Austin Krajicek lost to 3rd seed, American Rajeev Rama and Briton Joe Salisbury (6:2, 6:7 (5), 6:3).

Source: HTS

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September 20, 2019 - Not a bad day for Croatian tennis players after Borna Coric and doubles team Nikola Mektic and Franko Skugor advance to the semifinal of the St. Petersburg Open in Russia.

HTS reports that Borna Coric is in the semifinal of the ATP tournament in St. Petersburg! Croatia’s best tennis player achieved another turnaround and celebrated in three sets, this time in action against Norwegian player Casper Ruud, 60th on the ATP ranking - 3:6, 7:5, 6:3.

Ruud was up by a set and had a 3-2 lead in the quarter-final, with the serve in the second set, but the Zagreb native once again managed to find a way to victory.

Coric took the second set after he broke his opponent in the 6th and 12th games. The sixth game of the third set was crucial for Coric when he took away Ruud’s serve for the third time in the match. Borna managed seven aces during the match and achieved a first-serve percentage of 60 percent. 

This success has moved Coric up one position on the ATP ranking, making him the current 14th best tennis player in the world. To reach the final, Coric will play against the winner of the match between Kukuskin - Sousa. 

Nikola Mektic and Franko Skugor, the first-seed in St. Petersburg this week, also won a spot in the semifinal on Thursday. In the first round, the Croatian duo was better than Lithuanian Ricardas Berankis and Serbian Janko Tipsarevic (6:3, 6:4), and topped American Nicholas Monroe and Belarusian Andrei Vasilevski (who didn’t have a single break point in the match) in the quarterfinal - 6:4, 6:2.

Mektic and Skugor will play Igor Zelenay and Divij Sharan in the semifinal on Saturday. 

Recall, Donna Vekic lost in the round of 16 at the Japan Women's Open on Thursday against Misaki Doi. 

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

July 12, 2019 - Ivan Dodig is the last remaining Croatian representative at the Wimbledon tournament this year, announced the Croatian Tennis Federation.

After losing in the semi-final of men’s doubles, Ivan Dodig and Taiwanese partner Latisha Chan were able to secure a spot in the semi-final of the mixed doubles tournament after overcoming British duo Evan Hoyt and Eden Silva 7:5, 7:6 (5). 

In both sets, Dodig and Chan were a break behind (in the first set they lost 4:1, in the second 5:2), yet they found a way to win in two sets. The two-time Roland Garros winners will play against the 5th seed, Dutchman Wesley Koolhof and his Czech partner Květa Peschke on Friday, though the time is yet to be announced. 

Unfortunately, Franko Škugor and Raluca Olaru were stopped in the quarter-final of the mixed doubles tournament. After a big fight in three sets (6:7(6), 6:3, 7:5) it was Swedish player Robert Lindstedt and Latvian Jelena Ostapenko to secure their spot in the semis. In the third set, Olaru lost her serve on two occasions (the last time at 5: 5), which in the end proved to be crucial for the defeat of the Croatian-Romanian duo. 

Recall, Ivan Dodig failed to advance to his second Wimbledon final in men's doubles since 2013, after he and partner Filip Polášek lost to French duo Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin 6:2, 7:6(7), 7:6(2).

The Croatian-Slovakian duo poorly opened the match and after 4:0, their opponents had no problem winning the first set. For the rest of the match, the game was far more equal, and Dodig and Polašek missed their chance in the tie-break of the second set when at 6:5 they had a set point on their serve. In tie-break of the third set they led 2:0, then lost seven consecutive points. They did not use any of the five break points in the duel.

Mate Pavić and Canadian partner Gabriela Dabrowski (3rd seed) lost in the third round of mixed doubles after a marathon three hours and 18 minutes of play against New Zealander Artem Sitak and German Laura Siegemund - 5:7, 7:6(5), 13:12(5). Leading 10:9, Pavić and Dabrowski missed a match point and lost a tie-break at 12:12, and continued to lose three consecutive points.

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

Ivan Dodig will play in the men's doubles semi-final for the second time in his career after he played in the 2013 final with Brazilian partner Marcelo Melo. 

The Croatian Tennis Federation reports that Ivan Dodig and partner Filip Polašek are in the men's doubles semi-final of Wimbledon! The Croatian-Slovakian duo once again showed their strength and overcame the New Zealand-Dutch duo Marcus Daniell and Wesley Koolhof in the quarter-final in three sets - 6:2, 7:6 (1), 6:3. 

Dodig and Polašek allowed only one break point (in the 10th game of the second set) when Daniell and Koolhof equalized at 5:5 to lose that set in a tie break. In the decisive set, they broke their opponents in the 6th game and calmly concluded the match. 

This is Dodig’s second time advancing to the Wimbledon semi-final in the men's doubles competition. Recall, in 2013, he played in the final (when his partner was Brazilian Marcelo Melo). For a new chance at the Wimbledon final, Dodig and Polašek will play against Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin. 

Croatian representatives continue to succeed in the mixed doubles competition as well. Franko Škugor and Romanian partner Raluca Olaru will play in the quarterfinal of the tournament after defeating the sixth seed Nikola Mektić and Alicja Rosolska with a score of 6:2, 6:2. Škugor and Olaru will play against the winner of Peers/Zhang and Lindstedt/Ostapenko.

Mate Pavić and Canadian partner Gabriela Dabrowski (3rd seed) continued their second-round mixed doubles game on Tuesday after it was suspended on Monday due to darkness. Pavić and Dabrowski managed to beat Jamie Murray and American Bethanie Mattek Sands - 6:4, 3:6, 6:3. Their opponents in the round of 16 will be New Zealander Artem Sitak and German Laura Siegemund.

Dodig will also play in the mixed doubles round of 16 with partner Latisha Chan against Roger-Vasselin and Andreja Klepač.

Recall, Croatia no longer has any representatives in the singles competition after Petra Martić, Marin Čilić, Donna Vekić and Ivo Karlović were eliminated.

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

Wimbledon begins on Monday, July 1 and the draw for the singles and doubles competition was held on Friday. Who will our Croatian tennis stars face?

The current best Croatian tennis player Borna Ćorić, who is the 14th seed in the tournament, will play against the best Slovenian tennis player Aljaza Bedene in the first round of the third Grand Slam tournament, the draw decided on Friday.

This will be the fifth encounter of Ćorić, the 14th best tennis player in the world, and Bedene, who is 86th in the ATP ranking. In the past four matches, Ćorić achieved three wins.

If he passes to the second round, Ćorić will play the winner of German Jan-Lenard Struff and Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis. Against Struff, the 34th best player in the world, Ćorić has won twice in five meetings. Against Baghdatis, who is currently 138th ATP rankings, Ćorić celebrated in their only encounter. 

Marin Čilić, the 13th seed of Wimbledon, will play in the second round against Frenchman Adrian Mannarino, who he's played twice and defeated once. If Ćorić wins, he awaits the winner of Portuguese player Joao Sousa and British player Paul Jubb.

Ivo Karlović’s opponent in the first round is Italian Andrea Arnaboldi, the 209th tennis player in the world, who he has not met thus far. If the 40-year-old advances to the second round, he awaits the winner of Greek player Stefan Tsitsipas, the 7th seed of the tournament, and Italian Thomas Fabian.

In the women's competition, Croatia's best female player Donna Vekić will face American Alison Riske, 54th on the WTA ranking. If she advances to the second round, Vekić awaits the winner of Serbian player Ivana Jorović and Dutch player Lesley Kerkhove.

In the first round, the 24th seeded Petra Martić will face American Jennifer Brady, the 64th best tennis player in the world, for the first time. If she advances to the second round, Martić will play the winner of Russian Anastasia Potapova and Swiss player Jil Teichman.

In the first round of the doubles competition, Mate Pavić and Bruno Soares will meet Dutch duo Arends and Middelkoop, Ivan Dodig and partner Polasek will meet British duo Murray and Skupski, and Croatian duo Nikola Mektić and Franko Škugor will meet Lithuanian Berankis and Hungarian Fucsovics.

Wimbledon begins on Monday, July 1, and will play until July 14.

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

What a memorable week it has been for Croatian doubles team Nikola Mektić and Franko Škugor! 

Not the news you’d like to hear about Croatia’s best tennis player Marin Čilić. 

Croatia is through to the second round, after a 3-2 win against Belgium in Liege

Ivan Dodig and Franko Škugor got the second point for Croatia against Belgium