Andy Murray topples Marin Cilic to capture title – AEGON Championships 2013
Olympic gold medallist, Andy Murray, made an exceptional comeback from a set down to triumph over the fifth seed, Marin Cilic, at the AEGON Championships 2013 on Sunday.
He recorded a 5-7, 7-5, 6-3 score line to dethrone the Croat and capture his third title at this ATP World Tour 250 series event held in London, United Kingdom.
The top seed made a dismal entry at the Queen’s Club. However, he lifted his game after the opening set and subsequently stole the show. As a result, Murray extended his lead by 10-2 in the FedEx ATP Head 2 Head series against the Croat and shelved his 27th ATP
World Tour title.
The British said, “I worked very hard in the time I had off to get myself back in the best shape possible. My team helped me a lot, they've been very patient with me. [Cilic] is one of the best grass court players in the world. We've had a lot of very close
matches. I was lucky to come through in the end; he was playing very good tennis, especially towards the end of the second set.”
Ranked 12th in the Emirates Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Cilic suffered the first blow in the second game and fell behind at 0-3. However, he stayed focused and not only recovered in the seventh game but got the breakthrough in the second last game.
With capitalising on his second break chance, the Croat clicked the opener with a 7-5 win.
The Scotland native found his rhythm in the following set. He smoothly held his entire serves with poise. Murray cashed a break opportunity in the last game and grabbed the equaliser by winning seven games to five.
In the deciding set, Murray maintained consistency in his game. He got the coveted break in the fourth game and leaped to a 4-1 lead. The Brit held his remaining serves with poise and clinched the decider with a 6-3 score line.
Murray capitalised on six double faults his opponent committed and impressively availed 47 out of 62 points on his higher first serve ratio.
The Croat praised Murray after failing to defend the title. He reflected, “It was a great match from both sides, a great level of tennis. Andy showed he is capable of coming back; he's a great fighter. Congratulations to him for a great week.”
Cilic was bidding for his second title of the season. He conquered PBZ Zagreb Indoors by overpowering Jurgen Melzer earlier this season.
Tags: