Cilic not taking Edmund lightly after reaching Aussie semifinals
MELBOURNE, Australia – It would seem a safe bet that Marin Cilic would be the odds-on favorite to reach the Australian Open men’s final when he takes on unheralded Kyle Edmund in the semifinals.
After all, sixth-seeded Cilic, 29, has the far more established résumé with the 2014 U.S. Open title and 2017 Wimbledon final appearance topping his tennis accomplishments.
Cilic, who advanced with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 6-2, 2-0 decision when topseeded Rafael Nadal retired Tuesday because of an upper right leg injury, is too savvy to not take 49th-ranked Edmund seriously.
“For me, I’m going to prepare for that match like for any other one,” Cilic said. “Kyle had amazing run here. A lot of tough matches, played great tennis. He’s also very entertaining to watch. Big hitter, great serve, great forehand. Plays great on the hard courts.
“For me, another good opportunity. Obviously, on the paper, probably easier to play him than Rafa. But still he (Edmund) deserved a lot to be here at the spot where he is.”
In comparison to the Croat, Edmund’s achievements seem thin.
Courtesy of this Australian Open, the Briton, 23, can boast of reaching a first Grand Slam tournament quarterfinal and now semifinal. Before this tournament his best effort in a major was reaching the 2016 U.S. Open fourth round.
Until Edmund upset third-seeded Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in Tuesday’s quarterfinals to advance to the final four, he’d never before strung together five consecutive tour-level match wins.
But as Cilic points out, Edmund has a big game and his forehand is an exacting weapon. Cilic also comes to the court with a power game, more experience and little fear of going for his shots.
Cilic, into his fifth Grand Slam semifinal, has the upper hand in terms of their previous meeting. He defeated Edmund 6-3, 7-6 (7-5) in the Shanghai tournament last October.
The Croat has been ranked as high as No. 4 and is playing here at No. 6 with the possibility of going up to a career-high No. 3 if he clinches a second Grand Slam title.
As for Edmund, he’s projected to nail down a top-30 ranking for the first time with his victory over Dimitrov.
Edmund’s match against Dimitrov does suggest he’s found a way to keep his emotions in check in less familiar situations. It marked his first victory against a top-five opponent in 12 attempts.
“It’s totally normal to feel nervous,” Edmund said. “As an emotion, as a human being, it’s normal. ... It’s not like I walked on court being nervous first time in my life. You still go on there and play your game. Today I just really did well at that.”