Coric, Delbonis To Clash For Marrakech Crown

Borna Coric will have another opportunity to claim his first ATP World Tour title after edging Jiri Vesely in two tie-breaks on Saturday at the Grand Prix Hassan II.

Appearing in his second final, Coric will look to go one step further in Marrakech after finishing runner-up to Stan Wawrinka in Chennai to open the season. He downed eighth seed Vesely 7-6(5), 7-6(5), marking the fourth time a NextGen player has reached an ATP World Tour final in 2016. Nick Kyrgios won his maiden title in Marseille and Taylor Fritz reached the final in Memphis.

Third seed Coric needed one hour and 57 minutes to dispatch Vesely, firing six aces. After claiming the opening set in a tie-break, he recovered nicely when conceding an early break in the second and falling behind 3-0. Vesely would deny the Croat’s first match point at 6-4 in the ensuing tie-break, putting away a lunging backhand volley. But an exuberant Coric converted his second as a Vesely forehand sailed long.

“It was a very good match for me,” said Coric. “I’m very young and have a lot of space to learn and improve, but also I’ve been on the tour for many years now and I feel quite confident now.”

The 19-year-old Croat is bidding to become the first teenage titlist on the ATP World Tour since Marin Cilic lifted the trophy in New Haven in 2008. He will face a streaking Federico Delbonis in Sunday’s final.

Delbonis will look to make it an all-Argentine winners’ circle in Marrakech after Guillermo Duran and Maximo Gonzalez won the doubles title on Saturday. The red-hot 25-year-old turned aside 2007 runner-up Albert Montanes 6-4, 6-3 to reach his first tour-level final in nearly two years (Nice 2014). The great result on the Moroccan clay comes less than a month after stunning World No. 2 Andy Murray in the Indian Wells third round. It was his third Top 10 victory.

Appearing in his fourth career ATP World Tour title match, Delbonis will face Coric for the first time.