WATCH: Coric fends off 5 match points to win first title

It was never going to be easy, but even Borna Coric could not have imagined he would need to stave off five match points to win his first ATP title. But that's just what happened when the 20-year-old faced off against Philipp Kohlschreiber in Marrakech.

Coric's last big title was three and a half years ago when he was a fresh-faced 17-year-old prospect holding up the 2013 junior US Open title.

Chalk up his new title to resilience; Coric has matured into an ATP champion. He’s experienced a veteran’s ups and downs with big-match victories over Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray, Davis Cup heroics and knee surgery.

Holding up the Grand Prix Hassan II trophy on Sunday is another big milestone.

“It’s an awesome feeling,” Coric told the ATP World Tour. “I didn’t know what to expect when I came here and I wasn’t in the best shape. But I’ve been working very hard the past three or four months and now it’s paying off.”

His week began with an off-court milestone: an adventurous camel ride.

Then he survived a volley gaffe in his first-round match against Diego Schwartzman, knowing that he would make headlines on social media.

By Sunday, it was Coric’s tennis that made the news, outlasting his opponents one match at a time (including over spirited Moroccan wildcard Reda El Amrani 7-6 in the third set).

Coric's relief of winning his first title can only bolster his confidence in competing for bigger titles on the road to the French Open.