Marin Cilic beat Sam Querrey 6-7(6), 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-5 in a pulsating Wimbledon semi-final, besting the American in a battle of the big servers on Friday evening at Centre Court, London.
Cilic, the 2014 US Open champion, had a far superior head-to-head record against Querrey (4-0), but the last time the duo met at Wimbledon, in 2012, they slogged it out in the second-longest match in the history of the tournament.
And despite Cilic’s best efforts, he was unable to break the 6’6 Querrey in the opening set. For Querrey, winning the opener was crucial as he had reached the last-four on the back of three consecutive five-set ties and fatigue would definitely play a role as the match wore on.
The 29-year-old Querrey did just that, on his maiden semi-final appearance at a Slam, edging Cilic in an epic tie-break that had plenty of shifts in momentum.
Cilic, bidding to become the first seventh seed to reach the final of Wimbledon, had a break point in the first game of the second set but Querrey managed to hold, much to the consternation of the Croat.
Querrey, however, was struggling to hold on and when he afforded Cilic three break points in the seventh game, his opponent managed to get the crucial break and swing the momentum in his favour.
The American would keep pushing Cilic, but was unable to fashion a break and the seventh-seed held on to level the tie.
The third went to a tie-break again, with each player breaking the other once and this time round Cilic didn't make any mistakes as he produced a clinical performance to take a two sets-to-one lead.
Nobody could doubt Querrey’s heart, as he bid to become the first American since Andy Roddick in 2009 to reach the final of the prestigious grasscourt Slam, but Cilic was in the ascendancy and once the Croat broke in the third game of the fourth set, the writing was on the wall.
Holding his serve with consummate ease, the Croat had three match points and while Querrey managed to save one, Cilic got the job done on the second time of asking to reach his maiden Wimbledon final.
Cilic’s reward for winning Friday’s absorbing encounter? A final against either the winner of the Roger Federer-Tomas Berdych on Sunday and there is a strong perception that the 6’6 Cilic could not care less and will be ready come what may.