Garin Leads Coric In Rio, Both SFs To Be Completed Sunday Due To Rain

Two quarter-finals were played early Saturday at the Rio Open presented by Claro due to Friday rain. But the rain wouldn’t stay away in Brazil, and neither semi-final was finished due to the weather, with play being called for the evening after midnight.

Third seed Cristian Garin and Italian qualifier Gianluca Mager both lead by a set in their respective semi-finals in Rio de Janeiro, but they will have to return to the clay on Sunday morning to finish the job. Both matches are scheduled to resume not before 1pm local time, with the final not to be played before 5:30pm.

Garin leads fifth seed Borna Coric 6-4, 4-4, and he is to serve at 15/15 when play resumes. The 23-year-old was up a break in the second set, but launched a short backhand long to allow Coric back on serve.

The Chilean lost five of his first six matches this season. But he is flying as high as ever, currently at a career-high FedEx ATP Ranking of No. 25 two weeks after winning his first ATP Tour title of the season at the Cordoba Open. Garin is pursuing a personal-best eight-match winning streak, and he is projected to crack the Top 20 by defeating Coric.

Coric is trying to reach his first final of the season. The Croatian’s most recent title came on grass at 2018 Halle.

In the other semi-final, Mager leads Hungarian lucky loser Attila Balazs 7-6(4), 6-3. Mager owned only two tour-level wins (2-3) before this week.

Earlier Saturday, Mager completed a rain-delayed 7-6(4), 7-5 triumph against top seed and recent Australian Open finalist Dominic Thiem. Ironically, he beat Balazs in the final round of qualifying 6-0, 6-2.