Marin Cilic exits to Novak Djokovic in quarters of the Cincinnati Masters – Tennis News
Croatian number one, Marin Cilic, was underplayed by the second seed, Novak Djokovic, in brutal straight sets at the Western and Southern Open 2012 on Friday. He suffered a 3-6, 2-6 loss at the hands of the Serbian ace in the quarter-finals at this ATP (Association
of Tennis Professionals) Masters 1000 event taking place from 11th to 19th August in Cincinnati, United States.
Seeded 12th in this tournament, Cilic was dumped by the former world number one for the seventh straight time.
As a result, Djokovic not only improved to a 7-0 lifetime in the FedEx ATP Head 2 Head series against the Croat but also progressed into the semi-finals at this Emirates Airline US Open Series event.
"It was my best match so far here in this tournament," said the delighted Serb in a courtside interview after clinching the match. "Came in the right moment, really. I had the biggest challenge today with Cilic who has been playing well the last couple of
months. Played a really good match."
The Bosnia and Herzegovina-born Cilic made a drastic entry at the Lindner Family Tennis Center. He lost his opening serve in the second game and went 0-3 down. Regardless of keeping his remaining serves and seeking two break opportunities, the Croat failed
to recover and eventually endured a 3-6 loss.
Ranked 15th in the South African Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Cilic carried his poor ways in the follow-up set. He suffered the first blow in the third game and fell at 1-3. The Croat managed to keep his serve in the fifth game but lost the
last three games, eventually suffering a 2-6 shock. He again found two break chances but squandered them. On the other hand, Cilic dusted away only one out of three breakpoints he came across.
Overall, the 23-year-old nudged up a lower first serve share of 54 per cent as opposed to his opponent’s 69 per cent. He lost his serve three times and finished the match with 42 points as compared to Djokovic’s 66.
Djokovic will face off the sixth seed, Juan Martin Del Potro, in the final four. The Argentinean number one halted the French lucky loser, Jeremy Chardy, with a breadstick to set up this clash.
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