Victor Estrella Burgos' magical run at the 2014 U.S. Open continues after defeating 17-year-old Croatian Borna Coric -- the 2013 U.S. Open juniors champion -- on Thursday night, surprisingly moving on to the third round of the tournament on Saturday to the surprise of many.

Estrella Burgos -- who made history on Tuesday becoming the oldest person to debut at the U.S. Open as well as the first Dominican to participate in the tournament -- beat Coric 7-6, (4-6), 6-4, 6-2 in front of a crowd that was very lively, yelling "VICTOR, VICTOR," or "QUIS-QUE-YA" throughout the match, frustrating his teenage opponent at points throughout the match.

"I want to put the Dominican Republic on the map," said Estrella Burgos. "You have fans coming from the Dominican Republic who specifically came to see me play. That's extra motivation for me to keep working harder, to keep advancing in tournaments like this. Truth be told Dominican fans are some of the best fans. They know I'm the only one here and they support their player. It makes me happy, it energizes me to keep pushing, keep playing at this level."

Estrella Burgos' path to the U.S. Open was different from most professional tennis players, turning pro in 2002 at the age of 22. Burgos competed mostly in local tournaments, playing for the Dominican Republic's Davis Cup team before stepping up in level of competition participating in the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Futures and Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Challenger tours before making the leap into the top-tier ATP tour.

"I have experience but if we are going to talk about experience there are guys here who have 15 years experience, guys like [Radek] Stepanek, Roger [Federer], [Tommy] Robredo, Tommy Haas," said Estrella Burgos. "I only have seven years experience. But I think for seven years, I feel like I'm at my best. I feel I'm mature when I'm on the court playing my game. And at the age of 34, I'm playing good tennis, with a level head, staying positive."

For the latest sports news, follow Latin Post Sports on Twitter.

Estrella Burgos almost quit the sport of tennis in 2012 after tearing cartilage in his right elbow. But the injury may have been a bit of a blessing in disguise, forcing him to change his approach to the game.

"When I suffered that injury in 2012 at a Davis Cup tournament event in September, when I was out for 8 months away from playing tennis, I managed to get into the Top 100 in 5-6 months after I returned," said Estrella Burgos. "Truth is, I had to change a lot of things with my training, working with my physical therapist. And that's the key. The tennis ability, I got that. A high level of tennis, I got that. I have to keep taking care of myself and I think that's what will keep me in the Top 100."

Estrella Burgos had a lot of support during that down time to return to the game, especially from his long-time girlfriend, Barbora Bozkova -- a former professional tennis player who retired after suffering several injuries. Bozkova understood the psyche that goes with playing tennis at such a high level, believing in his ability to bounce back from such adversity despite the fact that he was contemplating retirement.

"Victor is such a passionate athlete, he has such a big heart," said Bozkova to Latin Post. "We are all so proud of him because he had this big injury and he was already at an age when he had to decide whether to keep playing or not. With his heart, he didn't give up and that's all that mattered."

While things are moving at such a fast pace for Estrella Burgos as he moves on to the third round of the tournament, the Dominican tennis player is just enjoying the moment, extremely appreciative of his U.S. Open success and his new supporters that are along for the ride.

"I think [this] is happening now because this had to happen now," said Estrella Burgos. "I think for me this is the best time this is happening now. I had to [improve], it's very simple for me. I think now is now. I cannot go back. I cannot start to think why this didn't happen when I was 20 or 22 or 24. Now it's happening, when I [am] 34 years, I'm very happy."

Estrella Burgos now faces Canadian Milos Raonic, currently ranked sixth in the ATP tour. Estrella Burgos previously faced Raonic in singles competition during the 2010 Davis Cup tournament, going down 5-7, 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(3) 9-7 despite being at two match-points in a tough match against the Canadian.

"Raonic is a very different player than he was four years ago," said Estrella Burgos of his opponent. "He is now playing at a different level, one of the top players in the world. But the Victor he is facing today is also a different Victor of four years ago. He is a Victor who is much more developed, better prepared and playing with more fortitude."

FOR MORE 2014 U.S. OPEN UPDATES AND SPORTS NEWS, VISIT LATIN POST.COM'S SPORTS PAGE

Related