Cincinnati (AFP) - Borna Coric returned to an ATP Masters final for the first time in four years on Saturday as the Croat defeated Britain's Cameron Norrie 6-3, 6-4 in Cincinnati.
World number 152 Coric, who missed a year of play with shoulder problems and only returned to the tour in March, advanced in 91 minutes in a match delayed for hours by an afternoon of rain.
"It was a long day.I didn't expect to be playing in the evening," Coric said."It was a crazy day but it finished very well."
Coric is the second-lowest-rated finalist since the rankings began in 1973, with number 191 Andrei Pavel setting that standard as he played for the Roland Garros title in 2003.
Coric got past a slow start marred by 14 unforced errors in the first six games, settling in to lift the level of his tennis.
The Croat, who lost a Masters final at Shanghai in 2018 to Novak Djokovic, limited Norrie to nine winners while sending over 17 along with 24 unforced errors.
"I played extremely well, but in the beginning I was not there," Coric said."I then found my rhythm and began serving better.That was the key to the match."
Coric will wait for a finals opponent from world number one Daniil Medvedev and fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas.
In the women's semis, French qualifier Caroline Garcia survived two rain breaks and advanced to the final by defeating Aryna Sabalenka 6-2, 4-6, 6-1.
Garcia will play for the title on Sunday against Czech Petra Kvitova, who constructed a 6-7 (6/8), 6-4, 6-3 comeback triumph over American Madison Keys.
Garcia is the first qualifier to ever reach the championship match at a Masters tournament.
Kvitova, a two-time Wimbledon winner who played the semi-finals in 2012 and 2018, will be aiming for her 30th career title in her first Cincinnati final.
Garcia maintained control over sixth seed Sabalenka in their contest, where the weather interruptions totaled four hours.She broke six times in a match comprising two hours of actual play.
"What a day it has been," number 35 Garcia said."Last night I was excited to be in the semi-finals.
"Aryna is a difficult opponent, so fast, so strong.We had a lot of very tough rallies and tough weather.You never knew when you would be coming back to the court -- but we managed it."
The pair returned after the second interruption and played out three more games as Garcia finished off the victory.
"No one would have expected this to happen," she said."It feels great.I've had a long journey in Cincinnati.I'm proud of what I did and I'm happy to be in the final."
Kvitova outlasts Keys
Kvitova, 32, needed two hours and 20 minutes to eliminate Keys.
"It was an incredible match.I expected it to be tough -- but not this tough," Kvitova said."I got emotional at the end, the match was mentally so tough."
She will make a return to the ranking top-20 after finishing with 24 winners and 16 unforced errors.
"I have no idea how I came back," Kvitova said."In the beginning I lost my serve with three double faults, and it wasn't really good.
"Sometimes it happens, one weak game.I came back somehow, the tiebreak was just very, very close."I just stayed there and tried to play until the end of every point.It was an incredible battle."
Kvitova, ranked 28th and winner of 29 WTA titles, lost the opening set after nearly an hour to her American opponent, the 2019 Cincinnati champion.
But the Czech struck back with two breaks in the second set and began the third with another as she turned the tables.
Kvitova was competing in her 63rd career semi-final and moved into her 12th final at the Masters level.
"I don't think I've experienced many matches like this," Kvitova said."We didn't really miss, I don't think we did anything badly in the end."
