Roger Federer’s path towards a first title in Rome has become more harder as he takes on Borna Coric in third round on Manic Thursday at the Italian Open on Thursday, May 16. The match will be fifth in line on Grandstand Court. You can find the Roger Federer v Borna Coric live streaming options, preview and predictions here.
Looking to watch (and bet) on the Federer v Coric live streaming online? Go to bet365 > Tennis > Live Streaming here*
[maxbutton id=”4″ text=”Watch (& Bet on) Federer v Coric Live” ]
*Geo-restrictions apply & pre-funded account needed
Roger Federer v Borna Coric Head to Head
Despite their huge age gap, Federer and Coric ‘s matches have developed into quite an intense rivalry in the last 14 months. They have played five times with the Swiss narrowly leading 3-2 after winning in Dubai earlier this season. This will be their first meeting on clay.
Federer Might Struggle With Schedule
It was perhaps obvious that the oldest man in the singles draw would be a major victim of the rescheduling of Wednesday’s matches due to persistent rain. On the bright side though, fans at Foro Italico will see Roger Federer turn up for one more match on the same day after missing the last two editions of the Italian Open.
The 37-year-old eased past Portuguese No.1 Joao Sousa in straight sets with one eye on a more difficult assignment during the course of the day against the talented Borna Coric.
The Swiss has never won the Rome Masters in his career (one of two Masters 1000 he is yet to win), and he made his long-awaited comeback to Italy in an effort to give another shot, perhaps knowing this could be his last opportunity to win it. But given the events yesterday, it will be interesting to see how Federer’s legs will cope against the movement of 22-year-old Coric.
Can Coric Take Advantage Of A Potentially Tired Federer?
There is no doubt that Coric will benefit from Federer’s involvement in the two matches on Thursday. The Croat overcame Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime in the opening round in three sets to avenge his loss in Miami and then made little work of Cameron Norrie in the second round in a clinical performance, striking 20 winners.
Coric has grown to be a thorn in Federer’s game in the last 12 months. He came close to pick his first win against the legendary Swiss at Indian Wells (led 4-2 final set) but failed to get past the finish line. However, he managed to stun the 20-time Major winner in Halle – Federer’s favorite surface – to win his first title on grass.
While this is a first meeting on clay, nothing will change in terms of the dynamism and intensity in this match-up.
Federer v Coric Predictions & Tips
Federer already knew this would have been a difficult round once the draw came out. Now his task has got a lot more harder having to play his second match of the day against fresh legs of a 22-year-old.
One pattern to notice in their matches is that Coric does play the cross-court backhand to Federer’s backhand in a bid to draw as many errors from the Swiss. The Swiss will find it difficult to shake off Coric if he does not stay grounded and ultra-aggressive from the baseline; could see a three-setter here.
Tip: Three-setter in the match: 6/4 (888Sport)
The Federer v Coric match can be watched live with Unibet here on May 16, 2019. Also get the latest tennis tips and predictions here.
Be the first to comment