Cincinnati 2020: Borna Coric vs David Goffin preview, head-to-head & prediction | Western & Southern Open

Borna Coric takes on Belgium's David Goffin in his first round match at the 2020 Cincinnati Masters on Sunday. The match will be of particular interest given that Coric was one of the players who contracted COVID-19 at the Adria Tour.

The World No. 33 had opened his season with a win over 2020 Australian Open finalist Dominic Thiem at the inaugural ATP Cup. However, he lost his next three matches on the trot, two of them being opening-round losses in Melbourne Park and Buenos Aires.

Coric arrested his four-match losing round at the ATP 500 Rio de Janeiro Open where he won three matches before losing to eventual champion Cristian Garin.

David Goffin, on the other hand, has had a much better start to the 2020 season. He won three of his four singles matches at the ATP Cup - including a straight-sets victory over Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinal tie between Spain and Belgium.

The World No. 10 continued his good form at the Australian Open where he won two matches before losing to Andrey Rublev in four sets. However, the Belgian arrives in Cincinnati on a two-match losing run, having lost at Rotterdam (Jannik Sinner) and Marseille (Egor Gerasimov) in his last two competitive outings.

Borna Coric vs David Goffin head-to-head

David Goffin

David Goffin has had the number of Borna Coric so far, as he leads the head-to-head 4-0. There's something about Goffin's game that really troubles the young Croat.

The first time Coric and Goffin met was in the semifinals of Basel 2014, where the diminutive Belgian won in three sets. Their next meeting was much more straightforward, as Goffin thrashed Coric in the second round of the 2015 Miami Masters.

The two shot-makers went five sets in a Davis Cup tie the year after that, before meeting again in the opening round of Halle 2016. While Goffin did face a few hiccups in both of those matches, he ultimately prevailed in each decider to maintain his 100% record.

Borna Coric vs David Goffin prediction

Borna Coric is unlikely to rejoice in his fifth career meeting with David Goffin.

Although Borna Coric has taken at least a set off David Goffin in three of the pair's four previous clashes, it is unlikely that the 23-year-old Croatian will break his duck in the opening round of the 2020 Cincinnati Masters.

There is a significant difference in the record of the two men in Masters 1000 tournaments, especially at the Cincinnati Masters. David Goffin has won 73 matches in the tournament category, 13 of them coming in Cincinnati - where he made his first Masters 1000 final last year (lost to Daniil Medvedev).

Magic man Medvedev! ✨@DaniilMedwed notches the biggest title of his career, downing Goffin 7-6(3), 6-4 for the @cincytennis 🏆 pic.twitter.com/1DQQOhqMmS

— ATP Tour (@atptour) August 18, 2019

Borna Coric meanwhile would have at least one happy memory at the tournament, having taken out a certain Rafael Nadal in the 2016 third round. However, the young Croat has fallen in the opening hurdle at Cincinnati in two of his last three appearances at the tournament (2017, 2019).

.@CincyTennis interview: @borna_coric on beating Nadal and his achievements in Cincy. https://t.co/qUnD4ypMpY #ATP pic.twitter.com/iugTTRmdxH

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 18, 2016

Coric has an underwhelming 4-5 record for the season compared to Goffin's tally of eight wins in 13 matches. To add to that, it is not yet clear whether there are any lingering effects of coronavirus on his body.

All things considered, the Croat's losing streak against Goffin is unlikely to end today.

Prediction: David Goffin to win in three sets.

Match details

Tournament: Western & Southern Open 2020

Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York, USA

Category: ATP Masters 1000

Surface: Outdoor hardcourt

Prize money: $4,674,780

Live telecast: India - Sony Ten 2 | USA - Tennis Channel / ESPN

Match timing: Not before 7 PM EDT (4:30 AM IST)