Marin Cilic dumps Kevin Anderson in quarterfinal – China Open 2011
In an enthralling quarterfinal clash at the China Open, Croatia’s number one, Marin Cilic, battled past 31st ranked South African, Kevin Anderson, on Friday afternoon.
The world number 25, Cilic, toiled hard for two hours and twenty four minutes of play before he settled the final scores at 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-1, to book a spot in the semi-final rounds of the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals)
World Tour 500 event.
It was an evenly poised contest, being played on the outdoor hard courts of the Olympic Green Tennis Center, in Beijing, China. Cilic displayed his superiority over Anderson once again, defeating for a second straight time in singles
encounters. The Croat outplayed Anderson in their last meeting in 2009 edition of Australian Open, finishing the matchup in four sets, 6-3, 6-2, 6-7(4), 6-3, in the opening round. He leads 2-0 over the South African in head-to-head combats, with Anderson yet
to score a win against him.
23-year-old Croat secured 38 out of 51 first serve points with his 55 per cent precise serve in the matchup. Anderson bettered him with 46 out of his 63 points but squandered away some crucial opportunities in the matchup to finish
on the losing side in the end.
The opener entered a tie breaker round after an early trade of serve breaks in the set. Cilic cashed in a couple of vital chances to bag the opener at 7-6(4)m but the South African back fired in the very next set to level the matchup
at one-all. Anderson lost all his steam in the final set and Cilic absolutely blew him away to cruise to victory at 6-1 in the set number three.
Cilic will face his doubles team partner and fellow compatriot, Ivan Ljubicic, in the next round encounter to fight for a place in the final of the China Open. Ljubicic outclassed 37th ranked Mikhail Youzhny of Russia
in the auarter-finals and currently leads 2-0 against Cilic in singles matches.
“I think definitely tomorrow is going to be interesting and tough match for both of us,” Cilic said of his semi-final match against Ljubicic. “I think he’s again hungry to win and playing well. For me, it would mean a lot to come
back to the final again in Beijing and try to look for my title.”
Cilic has already lost two ATP championship finals this season and is desperately struggling to earn a singles title this year in Beijing.
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