Federer loses No.1 spot as Coric stuns him in Halle final
Federer was denied a 10th title in the German grasscourt
tournament as Croatian Coric handed the 36-year-old his first setback on
an otherwise serene road towards defending his Wimbledon title.
The defeat meant that Rafa Nadal will return to the top of the world rankings on Monday.
Coric, playing in his first grasscourt final, showed great
mental toughness and determination to fend off two set points before
clinching the opening set after 57 minutes.
Federer responded by applying further pressure on Coric's serve
in the second set before converting a break point in the eighth game to
force a decider.
The 21-year-old then broke Federer in the sixth game of the
final set when the Swiss sliced a backhand long, before claiming only
his second ATP title. (Reporting by Hardik Vyas in Bengaluru Editing by
Ian Chadband)