Windy City Open 2024 Presented By The Walter Family QF: Relentless Coll Continues Title Defence in Style

Paul Coll continued the defence of his Windy City Open title with an imperious display against Victor Crouin, avenging his defeat to the Frenchman at the J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions. 

Crouin stunned the Kiwi in New York with an outstanding performance, winning 3-0 to reach the semi-finals, but the roles were reversed in this one, as Coll himself produced a near-flawless display. 

The first game in their New York encounter had gone deep into a lengthy tie break, but it could hardly have been more different here, with Coll needing only eight minutes to take it 11-2.

Game two was a slightly tighter affair, but the New Zealander never looked in trouble, dropping only six points as he continued to control the rallies. 

He wrapped up the game on a stroke after clipping the Frenchman in the face with his swing, ending the second with just two errors on his ledger in the entire match to that point. 

Contrast that with the eight errors made by Crouin and it was easy to see why Coll was on the verge on victory, and he delighted the crowd early in game three with a forehand into the nick, albeit with a more delicate touch than what we’d seen from Mostafa Asal earlier in the day. 

That winner made it 4-2 and there was no let-up from the World No.3, who raced towards the finish line for the loss of just two more points, ending the match with 16 winners to his name. 

“Very happy to get off at 3-0,” he said after his win. 

“He got me 3-0 a month ago so I was happy to be able to get revenge today, and I’m looking forward to another semi-final here in Chicago. 

“I was feeling a bit better in myself [compared to ToC] and I knew what I had to do. I executed the game plan from the first rally to the last.  

“I was very happy with how I stuck with the game plan, knew exactly what I wanted to do. I was clear in my head and my body felt good. 

“I’ve always loved Chicago, always had some good vibes and this year’s the same, I’m feeling good and enjoying it. This is one of my favourite venues, I love how compact it is, the ambience around the room is amazing and the crowd as well, so I always have good vibes here and like playing here, and hopefully the week can continue.” 

Result: 
[3] Paul Coll (NZL) bt Victor Crouin (FRA) 3-0: 11-2, 11-6, 11-4 (38m)