LONDON: Fourth seed Marin Cilic endured a test of both his nerves and physicality as he overcame the fast-serving Gilles Muller 6-3, 5-7, 6-5, in the semifinals of the Aegon Championships.
An unwelcome greeting by mother nature failed to deter Cilic’s tenacity at the start of the match. As both players walked onto centre court, they were almost immediately ushered off as the rain began to fall. Returning to the court 30 minutes later, it was fourth seed in full control, especially during the longer rallies.
Continuing to apply the pressure onto his Luxembourg rival, Cilic seized his first break point chance in the sixth game of the match after a Muller unforced error. A couple points later he sealed the 4-2 lead with the help of a breathtaking backhand shot down the line. Cilic was the dominator of the opening set. His opponent kept fighting, saving two set points in the following game. Still, Muller was unable to tame the former US Open champion, who sealed the 6-3 lead with an ace down the line.
The difference in mentality between the two players could be seen during a brief delay in the second set. As the damp conditions prompted a thorough inspection of the court, Cilic was seen walking around, energized and determined. Meanwhile, Muller was sitting idle as he tried to figure a solution to revive his title hopes in London.
Earlier this week, Muller said ‘when you don’t play well you can still stay in the match with your serve.’ This was illustrated as he managed to stage an unlikely comeback at the expense of Cilic’s own nerves. As the former US Open champion served to level the second set 6-6, a tentative 94 mph serve was returned with interest by Muller, granting him an unlikely set point. The break when then confirmed after a backhand error from Cilic.
“Gilles was pushing me to my limits. It was not easy to keep calm after not converting a lot of breakpoints in that second set and then losing it.“ Cilic reflected.
From appearing invincible to fragile, Cilic had to battle with his own mentality as well as his rival. At the start of the decider set he was 40-0 up on the Muller serve, but failed to convert. As the frustration mounted, the breakthrough he sought appeared. Engaging in another lengthy rally from the baseline, a Muller shot brushed the top of the net, but failed to go over. The outcome was another break for Cilic to elevate him closer to the finish line. The 135-minute victory was then sealed with an ace out wide from the Croat.
“The way I’m playing, it’s just amazing to get to the final. Also, considering that today’s match was of an extremely high level I was playing really really good throughout the match.” He said during his post-match interview.
There will be no time to rest for the world No.7, who will also be playing in the doubles semifinals later today. Cilic is bidding to win his first ATP title in the discipline and become the first man since Mark Philippoussis in 1997 to achieve the double at Queen’s.
