Marin Cilic vs Ivan Ljubicic – Semi-final Preview: China Open 2011
Semi-final clashes begin at the China Open, with four title-hungry men straining hard to get through the final of the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) World Tour 500 event. In the all-Croatian affair of the quarter-final
round, the world number 25, Marin Cilic will take on his 26th ranked compatriot, Ivan Ljubicic, on Saturday afternoon.
The highly anticipated contest will be staged on the outdoor hard courts of the Olympic Green Tennis Center, in Beijing, China, with the winner getting a berth in the final to have a title shot.
Croatia’s number one tennis player, Cilic, has been in a brilliant form throughout the running season and is toiling extremely hard to bag his first championship title of the current year. Winner of five ATP championship titles,
Cilic has already registered 37 victories and has suffered defeats on 18 occurrences so far this season.
23-year-old Cilic took off his China Open campaign in an excellent manner, defeating Grega Zemlja in straight sets in the opening round. He then went through the unseeded Italian, Fabio Fognini, in the second round to meet the
South African Open winner, Kevin Anderson, in the quarter-finals. After going through a mid-time slump in the contest, Cilic outplayed Anderson in three sets, 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-1, to make his way to the semi-finals of the tournament.
On the other hand, 26th ranked Ljubicic is the other Croatian who is playing excellent tennis throughout the tournament. The 32-year-old veteran is running a 24-16 winning record and like Cilic, is still labouring hard
to get his hands on a championship title this year.
Ljubicic defeated the Russian lucky loser, Teymuraz Gabashvili, in the opening round to set off his China Open campaign and then dumped the unseeded German, Florian Mayer, in the second round to reach the quarter-finals. The Croatian
had some tough time in the round of eight before he eventually ousted the unseeded Russian, Mikhail Youzhny, in three sets, 7-6(4), 6-7(4), 6-2, to book a date with Cilic in the semis.
Cilic and Ljubicic team up together in doubles competitions and their duo is rated at number 39 in the world rankings. The both men have a very good know how of each other’s game play and it is assured that the Saturday’s contest
will be a real nail biter.
Ljubicic leads 2-0 over Cilic in singles encounters, with a most recent victory in the opening round of the Wimbledon Championships this season. With his magnificent current form, it is a good chance for Cilic to avenge his defeat
from his doubles partner and earn a place in the final of the China Open.
“I think we played against each other this year in Wimbledon first round, and Ivan won that match,” said Cilic. “But I believe I’m playing well at this moment. I watched his match and he was playing really well and got through
that match really well. I think definitely tomorrow is going to be interesting and tough match for both of us. 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.”
The contest appears evenly poised and it is anticipated that it will be finished in three sets, with Ljubicic as the hot favourite for winning.
Tags: