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Croatian star sets up encounter against qualifier Hurkacz

Marin Cilic began his 12th tilt at the Roland Garros title by striking 47 winners, including 13 aces, on Tuesday.

The third-seeded Croatian, improved to 19-8 on the season, by beating James Duckworth of Australia 6-3, 7-5, 7-6(4) in a rain-interrupted two hours and 14 minutes.

“I was serving really good today,” said Cilic. “I believe I had quite a high percentage of first serve and was also winning points after my serve. little bit of a loss of concentration at 5-4, when I was serving for the second set, and he came back. It was just a little bit difficult to get back straight at it. We didn't know when we were going back. We could have been waiting hour, hour and a half. But it went quickly.

“Overall, I felt good on the court. It was just slightly different than what we're used to, playing in the rain for more than hour and a half… My rhythm was good, [and I was] hitting from the back of the court well. It was, I would say, a little bit more difficult to return. He was serving well.”

Last year’s quarter-finalist will next challenge 6’5” Polish qualifier Hubert Hurkacz, who defeated American Tennys Sandgren 6-2, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 in two hours and 11 minutes.

Cilic won the first three games of the pair’s first FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting, but came through a more competitive second set — which saw Duckworth break back for 5-5 — prior to a tense third set.

Duckworth, who underwent foot surgery in January, had been contesting his first tour-level match since the 2017 Australian Open.

Cilic has an 8-5 record on clay this year, including runs to the Internazionali BNL d’Italia semi-final (l. to A. Zverev) and Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters quarter-final (l. to Nishikori).

Elsewhere, Italian Thomas Fabbiano won the fifth set of a first-round encounter that was carried over from Monday to complete a 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 victory over Matthew Ebden of Australia. He will now prepare to face Croatia’s Borna Coric.

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- Nigdy nie grałem z Hurkaczem i nigdy go nie widziałem - powiedział Marin Cilić o polskim tenisiście, z którym w czwartek zmierzy się w II rundzie wielkoszlemowego Roland Garros 2018.
Marcin Motyka
Marcin Motyka
30 Maja 2018, 08:40
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Getty Images / Julian Finney / Na zdjęciu: Marin Cilić
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Hubert Hurkacz: Wierzyłem, że mogę wygrać
W I rundzie Roland Garros 2018 Marin Cilić pokonał 6:3, 7:5, 7:6(4) Jamesa Duckwortha. - Dobrze czułem się na korcie i świetnie serwowałem - mówił po meczu. - Przy własnym podaniu zdobyłem wiele punktów, choć przy stanie 5:4, kiedy serwowałem po zwycięstwo w drugim secie, straciłem nieco koncentrację i dałem się przełamać.
REKLAMA

Dla Chorwata był to pierwszy mecz z Australijczykiem. - Duckworth był solidnym i niewygodnym rywalem, ale w ważnych momentach zachowywałem spokój. Miałem dobry rytm i właściwie uderzałem z głębi kortu, choć mój return trochę szwankował - ocenił.

Mecz był rozgrywany przy kroplach padającego deszczu, a w pewnym momencie został wstrzymany. - Z powodu opadów warunki były trudne, a piłki stały się cięższe. Przez półtorej godziny graliśmy w deszczu. To nie jest coś, do czego jesteśmy przyzwyczajeni. Na szczęście przerwa nie była długa - ocenił.

W II rundzie, w czwartek, Cilić zmierzy się z polskim kwalifikantem, Hubertem Hurkaczem. - Nigdy nie grałem z Hurkaczem i nigdy go nie widziałem, więc na pewno będę musiał poszukać informacji. Najważniejsze dla mnie będzie to, żebym utrzymał wysoką jakość serwisu oraz lepiej returnował. To powinno zwiększyć moje poczucie pewności siebie - dodał mistrz US Open z 2014 roku.

Johnson, Fognini move into third round
Marin Cilic played with greater confidence on Thursday at Roland Garros, but experienced a tough route into the third round after he failed to convert one match point chance in the third set.
The third-seeded Croatian recorded his 20th match win of the season (20-8) by beating past 21-year-old Polish qualifier Hubert Hurkacz 6-2, 6-2, 6-7(3), 7-5 in two hours and 50 minutes.
"I felt that I just took my foot off the gas and just gave him a little bit more room to breathe," Cilic said. "I felt like I was constantly close to breaking. I just felt like I was not returning as good as I can and just missed some returns, especially in some critical moments. And then the fourth set he was serving well... there were not many opportunities, but luckily I finished it in a good way."
Having lost just five of his first-service points through the first two sets, Cilic committed 38 of his 48 unforced errors in the next one hour and 45 minutes. He will next look to raise his game against American Steve Johnson, who moved past Jan-Lennard Struff of Germany 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-2, 6-2.
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Cilic saved the first break point of the match against No. 188-ranked Hurkacz in the fifth game, prior to breaking for a 4-2 lead. Having hit nine winners in the opener, Cilic broke twice in the 32-minute second set and lost just six of his service points.
Hurkacz served better in the third set, and a lapse in concentration by Cilic led to a service break for a 3-2 lead. The Croatian star bounced back immediately and could not convert one match point opportunity when leading 6-5, with Hurkacz serving at 30/40. Cilic paid the price in the tie-break, then, almost 50 minutes later, he raised his game to convert his eighth break point of the fourth set for a 6-5 advantage.
The lowest-ranked player that Cilic has lost to at a Grand Slam championship is France’s Thierry Ascione, who was No. 168 in the ATP Rankings, at Roland Garros in 2007. The 29-year-old recently reached his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 clay-court semi-final at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia (l. to A. Zverev).
"I'm playing well. I'm feeling great on the court. The results in [the] past 12 months have showed that I have that ability to win Grand Slams," Cilic said. "So I'm really looking forward to the rest of the tournament and hoping that I'm going to continue to play well and challenge the best guys."
Elsewhere, Italian No. 18 seed Fabio Fognini hit 27 winners to earn his 24th match victory of the season (9-5 on clay), defeating Elias Ymer of Sweden 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 in just under two hours. He will next challenge British No. 16 seed Kyle Edmund.
Edmund won 82 per cent of his first-service points to beat Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics, last week's Banque Eric Sturdza Geneva Open champion, 6-0, 1-6, 6-2, 6-3 in two hours and 16 minutes.
Did You Know?
Marin Cilic has won two of his 17 tour-level titles on clay courts at the 2012 Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag (d. Granollers) and the 2017 TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Open (d. Raonic).

- W pewnym momencie zdjąłem nogę z gazu i dałem mu więcej możliwości. Ale na szczęście zakończyłem ten mecz we właściwy sposób - mówił Marin Cilić po zwycięstwie z Hubertem Hurkaczem w II rundzie Roland Garros 2018.

W czwartek, w II rundzie Roland Garros 2018, doszło do meczu Marinem Cilicia z Hubertem Hurkaczem. Dla Chorwata udział w tej fazie turnieju wielkoszlemowego to chleb powszedni. Z kolei dla Polaka był to debiut. Mimo ogromnej różnicy w rankingu i doświadczeniu, pojedynek był bardzo wyrównany. Faworyzowany Cilić ostatecznie zwyciężył 6:2, 6:2, 6:7(3), 7:5, ale musiał się mocno natrudzić.

- W pewnym momencie zdjąłem nogę z gazu i dałem mu więcej możliwości - mówił Cilić. - Poczułem, że moja gra jest bliska załamania i że nie returnuję tak dobrze, jak mogę. Zwłaszcza w ważnych momentach przestrzeliłem wiele odpowiedzi na jego podania.

Mieszkaniec Monte Carlo przyznał, że obawiał się o losy czwartej partii. - W czwartym secie on doskonale serwował i nie dał mi wielu szans, ale na szczęście zakończyłem ten mecz we właściwy sposób.

Chorwat to finalista dwóch z trzech ostatnich turniejów wielkoszlemowych (Wimbledon 2017 i Australian Open 2018 - w obu przypadkach przegrywał z Rogerem Federerem). - Gram dobrze, będąc na korcie, czuję się świetnie, a wynikami z ostatnich 12 miesięcy pokazałem, że mogę zdobyć tytuł wielkoszlemowy. Dlatego nie mogę doczekać się dalszej części turnieju i mam nadzieję, że nadal będę grał na dobrym poziomie oraz że rzucę wyzwanie najlepszym - dodał.

W III rundzie, w sobotę, rozstawiony z numerem trzecim Cilić zmierzy się ze Steve'em Johnsonem. Z Amerykaninem ma bilans 4-0, ale nigdy nie grali ze sobą na kortach ziemnych.

World No. 4 to face Fognini in Round of 16
Marin Cilic reached the Round of 16 for the fifth time in 12 visits to Roland Garros on Saturday, defeating American Steve Johnson 6-3, 6-2, 6-4.
The World No. 4 won 83 per cent of service points and dropped just one point at the net (11/12) to secure the win after one hour and 34 minutes. Cilic has now reached the Round of 16 at the Grand Slam level on more occasions than any other Croatian man (20), breaking a tie with former coach Goran Ivanisevic.
Cilic, who reached his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 semi-final on clay at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia, improves to 10-4 on the surface this season and moves to 5-0 in his FedEx ATP Head2Head series with Johnson.
The 2017 quarter-finalist will face Italy's Fabio Fognini for a place in the last eight. Fognini booked his place in the fourth round for the second time, beating Kyle Edmund 6-3, 4-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4.
"It was a pretty tough match," said Fognini. "Kyle (Edmund) started the year really well, so he has improved his game a lot... I'm happy, because it was a really tough match."
The Italian, who reached the quarter-finals in 2011, hit 41 winners, including seven aces, in the three-hour, 34-minute contest to join countryman Marco Cecchinato in the fourth round. Fognini and Cecchinato's success marks the first time since 1976 that Italy has had multiple representatives competing in the Round of 16 at the clay-court Grand Slam championship (Barazzutti, Panatta).
"Losing in five sets is tough. But I did the best I could today," reflected Edmund. "Sometimes it's just not your day... It's always tough when you put in lots of effort and emotion. It's what you train for. And it just wasn't my day."
Fognini has now won eight of his past 10 matches, having reached the Internazionali BNL d'Italia quarter-finals and the Banque Eric Sturdza Geneva Open semi-finals in his two most recent events before arriving in Paris.
Did You Know?
Marin Cilic is bidding to become the 11th man in the Open Era to reach all four Grand Slam finals. Cilic won his maiden Grand Slam title at the 2014 US Open (d. Nishikori) and has also reached the final at 2017 Wimbledon and the 2018 Australian Open, falling to Roger Federer on both occasions.

Cilic will face Del Potro for a spot in his first semi-final in Paris
One year ago, Marin Cilic had never made the quarter-finals at Roland Garros in 10 previous attempts. He went on to become the first Croatian man to make it that far in Paris in more than a decade (Mario Ancic & Ivan Ljubicic, 2006). Yet just a year later, the Croatian now has a chance to go even further.
Cilic battled past the resilient Italian, No. 18 seed Fabio Fognini, 6-4, 6-1, 3-6, 6-7(4), 6-3 on Monday to reach his second consecutive quarter-final on the Parisian terre battue. The victory not only gives him his 28th five-set victory, tying for second among active players with Novak Djokovic according to the FedEx ATP Performance Zone, but it ends Fognini's six-match winning streak in five-setters.
"It was a difficult. It was a tough day mentally. First two sets I played solid. I think Fabio was not playing that well. He was missing some balls, and I gave him opportunity in that third set," Cilic said. "First few games in the fifth set I also was not returning well, and it was who is going to break first, and I was lucky it was me. I just continued to put pressure until those last couple points and then, lucky we got through."
The No. 3 seed Cilic has quietly had a successful European clay-court season, reaching at least the quarter-finals at both of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments that he contested on the surface. In Rome, he reached his maiden clay-court semi-final at the elite level, falling in a tight two-setter against Madrid champion Alexander Zverev.
Cilic, who will play No. 5 seed Juan Martin del Potro for a spot in the semi-finals, has found his best form at the Grand Slams lately. The 29-year-old reached the championship match at two of the past three majors, losing to Roger Federer at both the Australian Open and Wimbledon. If the 2014 US Open champion can advance to the final four in Paris, he will earn his 25th match win at Roland Garros, tying Zeljko Franulovic for the second most among Croatian men.
And for a while, it looked as if his nonstop aggression, carried out while hugging the baseline, would be enough to cruise past Fognini in decisive fashion, breaking four times in the first two sets. But the Italian intelligently dropped further back to give himself more time. He made it easier to not only defend, but to take bigger cuts at the ball and land his shots deeper on the Croatian's side, pushing Cilic back so he could not control every rally.
That paid dividends in the third set, as Fabio broke twice in a row to dig his way into the battle. And from there, his impressive shotmaking took over. After saving a match point while serving at 4-5 in the fourth shot, the Italian played sensational tennis in the tie-break, hitting stunning winners on the run — including a flicked one-handed backhand down the line— to rally the momentum and the crowd, storming into a deciding set.
But Cilic was simply too steady on serve, dropping just six points in the decider of the three-hour, 37-minute classic. Fognini had an opportunity to move ahead 4-3, putting pressure on the 29-year-old, but he crucially double-faulted to allow Cilic back into the game. The World No. 4 took full advantage, breaking two points later when he aggressively blasted a backhand return deep down the middle, rushing Fognini. The Italian attempted to get out of the way, hitting an inside-out forehand that clipped the net and ricocheted wide.
"There was some, obviously, great rallies, great, you know, cat-and-mouse points, coming to the net to go left, right. And with Fabio, it's always like that," Cilic said. "It's not easy mentally to stay in there, but for me it was a big focus just to keep focusing on my game and to continue to look for the opportunities. I know I missed a lot of them, but I knew one or two were going to come again."
Fognini was attempting to join compatriot Marco Cecchinato in the final eight, which would have marked just the second time in the Open Era that two Italian men have advanced that far at a major. If the 2011 quarter-finalist would have advanced, he would have become the third Italian in the Open Era to reach the last eight multiple times, joining Adriano Panatta (6) and Corrado Barazzutti (3).
Instead, Fognini settles for his second consecutive fourth round appearance at a Grand Slam, and his first run that long in Paris since 2011.
"I'm just sad at the moment, for sure, because I was two sets down," Fognini said. "It's painful also because I lost the match, but, I think I'm happy about my performance. I'm happy about how I'm feeling. I'm happy because I think this one, it's just statistics, but I can improve my tennis even more and also my ranking."
While Cilic is the higher-ranked player, he faces a stiff test in the next round against Del Potro. The Argentine leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 10-2, and has won their past seven matches, with six of those victories coming in straight sets.
"It's always a tough matchup between both of us. I think we are always playing some tough matches, and I believe this one is going to be, for both of us, very tough," Cilic said. "There's going to be a lot of points played from the baseline that can make a difference... I think, in these kind of matches, not many points are differentiating the players. So it's going to be extremely important to play every single point on a high level."
Did You Know?
Cilic earned just his second victory against a Top 20 player at Roland Garros, making his record against the elite group 2-7 at the clay-court Grand Slam. The only Top 20 player he had previously defeated in Paris was No. 19 Radek Stepanek in the third round in 2009.

Croatian praises Del Potro after Roland Garros quarter-final loss

Marin Cilic praised Juan Martin del Potro on Thursday, but was disappointed that he couldn’t reach the Roland Garros semi-finals for the first time.

“Out of past five Grand Slams, I [have] made the quarter-finals or better in four of them, so that's quite pleasing,” said Cilic, after his four-set loss to Del Potro in Paris.

“I felt that today I could have won this match, as well. It's always very bitter at the end of the match to know you have chances and then you lose that one. I know that Juan is a great player, [a] very great quality player, but still, it's a pity to lose like this.”

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The Croatian, who is currently in fifth position in the ATP Race To London for a spot at the 2018 Nitto ATP Finals, to be held at The O2 in London, is next scheduled to compete at the Fever-Tree Championships.

“That's the focus for the moment, take it week-by-week, day-by-day [and] get into form,” said Cilic. "Obviously the grass-court season is short, and I want to be in good form with that.

“I'm glad that the knee injury is behind me. I'm feeling physically well. I played good tennis here and played several matches.”

The 29-year-old Cilic, who reached the Australian Open final (l. to Federer) in January, is now 22-9 on the 2018 season. He beat James Duckworth, Hubert Hurkacz, Steve Johnson and No. 18 seed Fabio Fognini en route to his second straight Roland Garros quarter-final.

As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the US Open, we look back at the 50 champions who have left an indelible mark on this inimitable event.

That he might one day win a Grand Slam title had long been predicted for Marin Cilic. That he might win the 2014 US Open was a long shot, an unexpected result that came at the end of a befuddling fortnight. But this was no fluke. Cilic shined throughout his visit to New York and was sublime down the home stretch, emerging as a most deserving champion who achieved his potential and jump-started a stalled career over 14 magical days.

Cilic first made waves in the tennis world in 2008, winning the US Open Series event in New Haven, Conn., reaching the round of 16 at the Australian Open and Wimbledon and finishing the year at No. 22 in the world. Big things were expected. But in the ensuing years, the Croat settled into the second tier of the world’s top players, advancing to the semifinals of the Australian Open in 2010 and the quarterfinals of the US Open in 2009 and 2012 but never really threatening at the majors.

And thus he arrived at the 2014 US Open ranked No. 16 and seeded 14th. His opening week was relatively inauspicious, a few straightforward victories followed by a four-setter over No. 18 seed Kevin Anderson and a gritty, five-set win over No. 26 Gilles Simon.

But something clicked during that Simon win. Suddenly, the 6-foot-6 Cilic’s serve had some extra velocity, his ground strokes a bit more authority and his court coverage, abetted by his pterodactyl-like wingspan, a tad more reach. That impressive package came together in an easy straight-sets win over No. 6 Tomas Berdych, setting up one of the more surprising afternoons in US Open history.

play video 50 for 50: Marin Cilic, 2014 men’s singles champion
Throughout the tournament, the 2014 US Open had been building toward a Sunday showdown between Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer. But No. 10 seed Kei Nishikori stunned Djokovic in the first men’s semifinal, and Cilic followed with a clinic – dismantling Federer in a thoroughly impressive 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 victory. By then, Cilic had achieved a level he had never previously marshalled, and Nishikori stood little chance in the title match. Cilic cruised, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3, completing a remarkable second week for his 12th career crown and first US Open championship.

Cilic has not since equaled his two weeks in Flushing Meadows. But he has come close, rising into the Top 5 in the world and reaching the semifinals at the 2015 US Open and the final at Wimbledon in 2017 and again at the Australian Open to kick off this year.

Once labeled an underachiever, he is now one of the best players in the game, competing regularly for the biggest prizes in tennis – a run to the top launched four years ago in Flushing.

50 Fact: Cilic was the lowest-seeded man to win the US Open since No. 17 Pete Sampras did so in 2002. And the 2014 US Open singles final was the first without a man seeded in single digits since No. 13 Patrick Rafter topped unseeded Greg Rusedski in 1997.

Wawrinka snaps two-match losing streak at the event

Top-seeded Croatian Marin Cilic recorded his 25th match win at the Fever-Tree Championships (25-9) on Monday with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Fernando Verdasco of Spain.

The 2012 champion lost just four service points — including just one on first serve (28/29) — in the 67-minute encounter, his fourth straight win over Verdasco (leads 9-5 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series). The 29-year-old Cilic, who beat David Nalbandian in the 2012 final, also finished as runner-up in 2013 (l. to Murray) and 2017 (l. to Lopez).

Also in the top seed's quarter, Stan Wawrinka earned a confidence-boosting victory at The Queen's Club when he defeated British wild card Cameron Norrie 6-2, 6-3 in just 56 minutes.

Wawrinka

The Swiss, who continues to take baby steps in his rehabilitation from two knee surgeries, won four of the first five games in each set, hit 13 aces and lost just four of his first-service points. He avoids a third straight first-round exit at The Queen’s Club.

The 2014 semi-finalist, with a 5-7 record on a protracted season, will next face 2010 champion and fifth-seeded American Sam Querrey or Jay Clarke, a British wild card.

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Did You Know?
Stan Wawrinka has a 28-26 record on grass courts, according to the FedEx ATP Performance Zone. Since reaching the Diema Xtra Sofia Open semi-finals in February, the 33-year-old has won two of his past seven matches.

Marin Cilic extended his perfect record against Gilles Muller on Wednesday for a place in the Fever-Tree Championships quarter-finals.

Top-seeded Croatian Cilic, a three-time finalist at The Queen’s Club (26-9 match record), highlighted by the 2012 title, struck 19 aces to Muller’s 17 in a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory in one hour and 42 minutes. Cilic is now 4-0 against Luxembourg’s Muller in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series.

“It was difficult [to come back from a set down],” said Cilic. “He served really, really well consistently, and very tricky with his left hand. He was hitting good spots everywhere. It was definitely not easy. But I upped my serve a little bit from beginning of the second set.

“I didn't give him many chances on the return, and that just pushed me to stay in the match and to put back pressure on him. Obviously, that gave me few more chances on the returns. I got the break, and things sort of opened up a little bit more for me. I started from that point to play a little bit better and even made a few extra returns, putting pressure all the time on him. I was quite solid. Really happy with the way I pulled it from one set down.”

In their two previous grass-court meetings, Cilic hit 33 aces to Muller’s 17 in the 2017 Wimbledon quarter-finals and Cilic fired down 20 aces to Muller’s 22 in last year’s semi-finals at the ATP World Tour 250 tournament.

Cilic will next face another big-server, fifth-seeded American and 2010 titlist Sam Querrey, who saved seven set points in the first set of his victory over Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland.

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Tiafoe

Next Gen ATP Finals contender Frances Tiafoe notched his 18th win of the season, the most among American players on the ATP World Tour in 2018, beating Argentina's Leonardo Mayer 6-4, 2-6, 6-4.

"I thought it was a really good match," said Tiafoe. I played him once before in Shanghai in the last-round of qualifying. It was another tight match. I won 6-4 in the third set... In the second set I had a little lapse, but the third set was extremely tight and I was happy to get through."

The Delray Beach Open champion hit 10 aces and dropped just two points behind his first serve in the final set to reach his first quarter-final at The Queen's Club after one hour and 50 minutes. Mayer, who recorded just his second Top 10 win in 31 matches on Tuesday (d. Anderson), drops to 14-14 at tour-level this season.

"I am pretty pumped," said Tiafoe. "Grass hasn't been my favorite surface at all in the past here. I had unbelievable preperation, staying here after Roland Garros, practising on grass for a couple weeks... With a bunch of great players. It's paying off, luckily."



Tiafoe, bidding to reach his third tour-level semi-final of the season, will face Libema Open finalist Jeremy Chardy.

"Jeremy is a great friend of mine... So far he's been having an unbelievable grass court season," said Tiafoe. "He won a big Challenger [in Surbiton] and made the finals last week in 's-Hertogenbosch. Obviously he's feeling good."

Chardy progressed to the last eight after 83 minutes, defeating Sydney International titlist Daniil Medvedev 7-6(6), 6-3. The Frenchman, won who the Surbiton Trophy on the ATP Challenger Tour before reaching the championship match in 's-Hertogenbosch last week, didn't face a single break point en route to victory.

Did You Know?
Frances Tiafoe came into the Fever-Tree Championships with a 1-2 FedEx ATP Win/Loss Record on grass.

Croatian star awaits the winner of Kyrgios and Lopez

Marin Cilic is one match win away from reaching the Fever-Tree Championships final for the fourth time after a confident quarter-final win on Friday.

The top-seeded Croatian, the champion in 2012 (d. Nalbandian) and runner-up in 2013 (l. to Murray) and 2017 (l. to Lopez), defeated fifth seed and 2010 titlist Sam Querrey of the United States 7-6(3), 6-2 in 79 minutes on a perfect day at The Queen’s Club, venue of the ATP World Tour 500 tournament since 1890.

Cilic, now 25-9 on the 2018 season, will next look to beat Australia’s Nick Kyrgios, last week’s MercedesCup semi-finalist, or defending champion Feliciano Lopez in Saturday’s semi-finals.

The Croatian breathed a huge sigh of relief after he clinched the 51-minute first set, having failed to convert one set point chance at 5-4 on Querrey’s serve at 30/40. Querrey won the first two points of the tie-break, but solid hitting from Cilic on four successive points helped him. In a close opener, Cilic won 19 of his 21 first-service points, hitting five aces, while Querrey won 26 of his 31 first deliveries and six aces.

Cilic, playing with greater confidence in the second set, broke at the third time of asking in the opening game and won nine straight points to a 4-0 advantage. Cilic, who lost five of his service points in the second set, also beat Querrey 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 in the 2012 semi-finals. The 29-year-old Croatian star now has a 27-9 record at The Queen's Club, and is competing at the historic grass-court event for the 12th time.

Marin Cilic has saved his best tennis for the grass-court season in recent years. This week at the Fever-Tree Championships is no exception.
Cilic booked his spot in a fourth final at The Queen's Club, edging Nick Kyrgios 7-6(3), 7-6(4) on Saturday afternoon in front of a packed Centre Court. The top seed will vie for his second title at the historic tournament, six years removed from his breakthrough win on grass in 2012.
"From before the match, I knew that Nick was going to be serving big," said Cilic. "He served really big in his first three matches, especially his last two. He was serving more than 30 aces in a match and both of those matches were in two sets. I was expecting that it's going to end up being either a point or two or even a wrong decision that can make a big difference. I was keeping myself really focused, really composed, patient.
"I felt that I was serving really good using all parts of the court really well. Even whatever was coming on my own end off the returns, I was being very focused and had to take care of those balls really well. That proved to be really good.
"I'm happy with the performance, especially as consistently to serve on that big level. It's not easy and also when you know that you are under pressure to hold your serve most of the time. That's another big plus. I'm really pleased with the mental approach to the game and also executing it really well."

The Croatian awaits Novak Djokovic, who beat Jeremy Chardy in the day's second semi-final. Cilic will look to better his runner-up finish from last year. Cilic joins Andy Murray, Andy Roddick and Lleyton Hewitt as the only players to reach at least four finals at The Queen's Club in the past 20 years.
Most Final Appearances At The Queen's Club (since 1998)
Player
Finals
Andy Murray
5
Andy Roddick
4
Lleyton Hewitt
4
Marin Cilic
4
The margins were razor thin in the first set, with both Cilic and Kyrgios thumping their big serves on the lightning-fast grass. Neither would have a sniff at a break point and the opener would proceed to an inevitable tie-break. Behind a more calculating display from the baseline, Cilic seized the initiative and secured the decisive mini-break when a Kyrgios forehand sailed long.
And the Croatian would stay the course in the second set, refusing to get rattled by Kyrgios' electric game. With Lleyton Hewitt looking on, his countryman pounded three straight service winners to escape from a 30/40 hole at 2-all. But a double fault to open the ensuing tie-break proved costly for the Aussie. Cilic was steadier down the stretch, eventually taking the semi-final encounter after one hour and 26 minutes.

"It was tough," said Kyrgios. "I knew his serve was going to be tough today. I thought his forehand was really, really good. His first ball after his serve was pretty good too.
"I've played some good tennis, have played some tough opponents. I played a lot of three-setters and a lot of tennis. That's a positive. My body feels pretty good. It was a pretty successful couple of weeks, obviously given being out for two-and-a-half months before that."
Cilic was unflappable with his delivery, firing 11 aces and claiming an impressive 83 per cent of total service points. He has not been broken in 45 of 46 service games this week.
On Sunday, Cilic will play for his 18th tour-level title in what will be his 32nd final. His is bidding to lift his first trophy since prevailing on the clay of Istanbul last year, while his lone previous victory at the ATP World Tour 500 level came on the indoor hard courts of Basel in 2016.
Did You Know?
Cilic is now 2-1 in his FedEx ATP Head2Head series against Kyrgios. Their three meetings have come on all three surfaces, with Cilic also earning a straight-set win at Roland Garros in 2013 and Kyrgios returning the favour in the Marseille final two years ago.

Cilic lifts his second trophy at the Fever-Tree Championships

Marin Cilic entered the Fever-Tree Championships final having won just one of 15 FedEx ATP Head2Head series meetings against former World No. 1 Novak Djokovic. In fact, after the first set, the Croatian had won just seven of 42 sets in their rivalry. And at 4-5 in the second set, the 29-year-old faced championship point.

But the World No. 6 saved it with a booming serve out wide, and then overcame a 1/4 deficit in the ensuing tie-break before eventually triumphing 5-7, 7-6(4), 6-3 in two hours, 57 minutes on Sunday.

"I was just trying to stay mentally in it. And definitely, it was an extremely tough match," Cilic said. "No breaks for me until that last [return] game. I definitely feel relieved that I won it and what a great week."

One year ago, it was Cilic who was in Djokovic's position in the final at The Queen's Club. Feliciano Lopez hit a lunging volley from the service line to save championship point, before beating the Croatian in a third-set tie-break. This time around, Cilic completed a comeback to capture his 18th tour-level title. He has now lifted an ATP World Tour trophy for 11 consecutive years, and is projected to climb to No. 5 in the ATP Rankings on Monday thanks to the 500 ATP Rankings points he earns along with €427,590 in prize money.

The 31-year-old Djokovic, competing at The Queen’s Club for the first time since 2010 and in just his second final at the historic event, was seeking his 69th tour-level title. The Serbian's record in tour-level finals against Top 10 opponents falls to 47-27.

"He deserved to win," Djokovic said. "It's a tough loss for me today, obviously. But I have to see it from a positive side. I haven't played a final at any event in almost a year, so this felt great."

Despite landing just 36 per cent of his first serves in the opening set, Cilic controlled play from the baseline, redirecting groundstrokes and coming to the net when opportunities presented themselves. But Djokovic's defence was top-notch, treating the quick grass like clay, sliding from side to side.

Cilic failed to convert six break-point chances in the opening set, making a number of errors to allow Djokovic to battle out of trouble. Djokovic, who made 73 per cent of his first serves in the first set, then converted on his third set-point opportunity when the Croatian hit a backhand into the net. It looked like the Serbian would take control, as he began to push Cilic back with deep counter-punching.

At 4/5, 30/40 in the second set, Cilic found a great time to land a first serve, going out wide and seemingly surprising Djokovic. And then, in the tie-break, Cilic won both of his service points at 1/4 to put the pressure on the Serbian. A double fault on the next point shifted the momentum to the top seed.

"I was in a hole and I felt even in that first set I was maybe slightly better and unfortunately lost it towards the end," Cilic said. "I had a lot of break points throughout the [first] set and I felt that with my game, I was feeling really, really good, I was hitting the ball great. And I felt that when I connected and served well, I thought I was going to get a really good chance."

While Cilic did not take advantage of his first seven break points in the championship match, he laced a running forehand down the line past an approaching Djokovic to earn an eighth. The Serbian then hit a backhand in the net to allow the Croatian to serve out the match.

"[I'm] very delighted. Extremely happy for today’s win and also throughout the week, I was playing great tennis," Cilic said. "It was extremely tough today. I had to wait almost until the last game to get that first and crucial break… Novak was playing great tennis. It was definitely a joy to be a part of this final and to lift this trophy again."

It was still a successful week for Djokovic, who reached his first ATP World Tour final in 51 weeks, after triumphing at last year's Nature Valley International. After beginning his season 6-6, Djokovic has won 12 of his past 15 matches, reaching the semi-finals in Rome and the quarter-finals at Roland Garros. The Serbian earns 300 ATP Ranking points and €209,630 for his efforts on the London grass.

Did You Know?
Novak Djokovic won 51 of his first 52 service games of the tournament, before Marin Cilic earned his only break of the final at 4-3 in the third set.