Marin Cilic surprises John Isner in the second round – Mutua Madrid Open 2012
World number 22, Marin Cilic of Croatia, qualified for the round of 16, as he upset eighth seed, John Isner, in straight sets 7-6(4), 7-6(3) in the second round at the Mutua Madrid Open in Spain on Wednesday.
Cilic and Isner put on a brilliant show, as they won their serves throughout the opener, levelling the score at 6-6 and taking it to a tie-breaker. There was nothing which could separate them in the first eight points, as they squared it off at 4-4. Finally, it was Cilic who hit a couple of winners to grab it 7-6(4).
The Croatian pounded six aces but still lagged behind Isner, who bombarded 10 aces. Cilic committed three double faults and had a lower first serve percentage but he gave far superior performance on the second deliveries and returns, converting 15 of the 20 and 10 of the 20 of them into points respectively.
Just like the opener, neither of the two players succeeded in breaking other’s serve till the end of the second set, taking the score to 6-6 and forcing another tie-breaker. Cilic grabbed lead from the start this time, moving ahead 3-0. The Croatian maintained it till the finish, closing it 7-6(3).
Once again, Cilic committed three double faults and had a poor first serve percentage but managed to clinch 18 of the 24 points on them. Isner gave better performance than Cilic in almost all departments of the game but lagged behind in ground strokes and net play.
The Croatian required an hour and 57 minutes to down the American number two.
Isner, who entered this event in top form, was disappointed after the loss. The American said, "I need to play aggressive. I felt like I did that today and I just wasn’t making my shots. When I didn't play aggressive I felt like I was just running back and forth. I served fine, served very well actually. I've got to get back to the drawing board and try to play better in Rome."
The 6ft 9in tall, Isner, faced difficulties in moving on the blue clay courts of Madrid. He said, “I lost because I didn't do what I should have done out there and he was better than me. I always felt that this tournament even with the red clay was the most slippery I have ever played on. It's tough for a big guy like me but my opponent was also a big guy.”
Cilic is slated to play Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina in the third round.
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