Coric Earns Croatia Early Lead In Lille

FRANCE 0, CROATIA 1
Lille, France (Clay Indoor)

Seeking just its second crown, Croatia made a flying start against France in the Davis Cup final at the Stade Pierre Mauroy on Friday.

Currently ranked No. 12 in the ATP Rankings, Borna Coric needed just two hours and 19 minutes to overcome Jeremy Chardy 6-2, 7-5, 6-4. The Rolex Shanghai Masters finalist won 80 per cent of first-serve points and saved both break points he faced against the 31-year-old to earn the first point of the final.

Coric, who now owns 40 victories from 60 tour-level encounters this season, levels his FedEx ATP Head2Head series with Chardy at 2-2. Croatian No. 1 Marin Cilic will now attempt to double the visiting nation’s advantage in the second rubber. The World No. 7 will meet Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in their eighth FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting, with Cilic leading their series 5-2.

Croatia and France are meeting for the third time in Davis Cup, with both nations triumphing on home soil in previous encounters. France is aiming to become the first nation to defend the Davis Cup title since the Czech Republic lifted back-to-back trophies in 2012 and 2013. Croatia is appearing in its second final in three years after falling to a 3-2 defeat against Argentina in 2016.