Anderson: Cilic is in for a battle

SA STAR TO FIGHT FOR A QUARTERFINAL SPOT Kyle Edmund proved to be a rather stubborn opponent.

Though he admits he is facing a formidable challenge, Kevin Anderson believes he can put up a fight today when he comes up against Croatian seventh seed Marin Cilic in the fourth round of the French Open.

Continuing his explosive return from lengthy injury battles, Anderson beat SA-born British player Kyle Edmund 6-7, 7-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-4 in their third-round clash on Saturday.

“I thought I was creating quite a few opportunities (in the first three sets) but wasn’t quite able to capitalise on them, which can be very frustrating, so I felt that was something I did very well today,” Anderson said.

“I stayed positive, kept focused on what I needed to do, and I was able to play a good fourth set and ran away with it a bit ... so all in all, I’m very pleased to get through such a tough match.”

He was scheduled to meet Cilic, a former US Open champion, for a place in the quarterfinals.

“Of course it’s going to be very tough,” Anderson said.

“Marin’s a great player and he’s had a lot of experience. He’s a Grand Slam champion and a Masters champion, so he’s very used to these scenarios.

“We’ve played each other quite a few times, and we haven’t played for a while, but I have an idea of what to expect.”

The big-serving South African, who progressed to the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time since the 2015 season, was nonetheless concentrating on his own improvement, rather than his opponent’s ability.

“For me the biggest thing is focusing on the way I’m playing and challenging myself each match to go out there and do all the things we work on,” he said.

“I feel like I’m on the right path, and in each match I’m doing a little bit better, so I’m looking forward to the match.”