Marius Copil surprises Marin Cilic in opening round – China Open 2012
Romanian wild card entrant, Marius Copil, made an epic comeback to stun the fourth seed, Marin Cilic, in a three-set mouth-watering clash at the China Open 2012 on Monday. He hit back to formulate a 3-6, 7-6(0), 6-4 victory against the world number 13 to power into the second round at this ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) World Tour 500 Series event taking place in Beijing, China.
The underdog recorded biggest win of his career after upsetting Cilic in their first encounter at this outdoor hard court event. After stealing the show in two hours and 26 minutes, he edged in the FedEx ATP Head 2 Head Series by 1-0 against the last year’s runner-up and booked a spot in the round of 16.
Copil stated in a court-side interview after pocketing the match:
“It’s the biggest win of my career for sure. The first set was not good because I had too many emotions playing on such a big court so I struggled to focus. It was one of my first matches on such a big court. But I fought until the end and managed to take the few chances that came my way in the second and third sets. Many people play better than my ranking but I have to prove it. I’d like to thank the tournament for giving me a wild card, and hopefully I can win some more matches to show that I deserved it.”
The Croatian number one thundered into the National Tennis Center in Beijing. He broke Copil’s opening serve and cruised to a 3-0 lead. Apart from losing his edge in the seventh game, Cilic capitalised on another break opportunity and clicked the opener with a 6-3 success.
The 21-year-old carried his disappointing ways in the proceeding set and again lost his opening serve. However, he stayed calm and recovered in the fourth game, eventually prolonging the set to a tie-breaker. Copil went berserk in it and pulled out the equaliser with a 7-6(0) score line.
Ranked 221st in the South African Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Copil carried his rhythm in the final set. He got the coveted break in the second game and jumped to a 2-lead. Despite losing his edge in the very next game, the Romanian stayed focused and kept his remaining serves with poise. He got the breakthrough in the ninth game and sealed the decider by winning six games to four.
Copil will face off the German contender, Florian Mayer, in the pre-quarters.
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