Cilic on course
MARIN Cilic and Feliciano Lopez will contest the men’s singles final at the Aegon Championships at Queen’s today after respective wins over Gilles Muller and Grigor Dimitrov. Fourth seed Cilic came through 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 while the Spaniard triumphed 7-5, 3-6, 6-2.
Play got under way between Cilic, the world No 7, and Muller an hour late after rain in London. Muller made a match of it after recovering from a disappointing opening set where he was broken for the first time in the tournament in game six and had no answer to the Croat’s big serve.
The 34-year-old from Luxembourg then rallied to force the decider before Cilic’s superior serving saw him through to a third Queen’s final after two hours and 14 minutes, as he closed out victory with a 20th ace.
Cilic, who won the title in 2012, said: “It is just amazing to get to the final. Today’s match was extremely high level. Gilles was just pushing me to the limits.”
Cilic then went on to play his doubles semi-final with Marcin Matkowski against Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares, as he aimed to become the first man to win both titles at Queen’s since Pete Sampras in 1995. However, the rain again intervened and play was suspended with Cilic and Matkowski a set up but trailing 5-3 in the second.
Lopez, meanwhile, had to overcome a 45-minute delay during the second set against Dimitrov, who him in the 2014 final. Unseeded Lopez secured the only break of the opening set in game 11, but was 3-2 down on serve in the second when the covers came out. Dimitrov levelled the match after play resumed but it was Lopez who finished the stronger.
Lopez said “I am so happy to be in the final here at one of the most special tournaments for me. I have wanted to win this tournament so badly for my whole career and now I have another chance.”
Aegon Classic in Birmingham, Petra Kvitova reached her first final since she was stabbed, after last-four opponent Lucie Safarova retired, with the Czech leading 6-1, 1-0.
“I am enjoying playing again,” Kvitova said: “I couldn’t play for five or six months and I missed it. I’m trying to enjoy tennis more and seeing things from a different angle.”
The seventh seed will face Ashleigh Barty after the Australian world No 77 lost the first set to the sixthseeded Garbine Muguruza but fired back to win 3-6, 6-4, 6-4.