Nadal shocked by Coric in Cincinnati Masters following abdominal injury

ANKARA

Croatia’s Borna Coric stunned World No. 2 in tennis Rafael Nadal in the Cincinnati Masters on Wednesday as the Spanish superstar returned to the game after an abdominal tear during Wimbledon.

Coric, 25, won the match with sets of 7-6 (9), 4-6, 6-3 to qualify for the third round in Cincinnati, a WTA 1000 event in Ohio.

The Croatian battled for two hours and 51 minutes to eliminate 36-year-old Nadal.

Coric will next play against another Spanish player Roberto Bautista Agut.

In July, Nadal, the all-time leader with 22-time Grand Slam championships in men’s singles, pulled out of his Wimbledon semifinal against Nick Kyrgios due to an abdominal tear.