Cilic packs off Brit challenge, in final
MELBOURNE: A business-like Marin Cilic doused the fire of Kyle Edmund before crushing the ailing Briton 6-2 7-6(4) 6-2 to become Croatia’s first Australian Open finalist on Thursday.
Sixth seed Cilic, who won his quarter-final when Rafa Nadal retired hurt in the fifth set, was again ruthless against a reduced opponent, ending 49th-ranked Edmund’s dream run after just two hours and 18 minutes at a floodlit Rod Laver Arena.
Sealing the match with a thumping serve, the 2014 U.S. Open champion will bid for his second grand slam title against Friday’s winner of Roger Federer and South Korea’s rising star Chung Hyeon. He will also enjoy two full days off after his centre court cakewalk which left the largely pro-edmund crowd cold on a hazy, moist evening. Everything is in a “good, solid spot”, said the confident Croatian, who will contest his third grand slam final after being thrashed by Federer at Wimbledon.
“I’m playing much, much more aggressive,” the 29-year-old told reporters.
“I’m feeling that I am, for most of the shots, hitting them really, really good ... Feeling really
excited about the final, too.”
It was hard to disagree with the 6-ft 6-in (1.98m) Cilic, who put on a masterclass of clean hitting and was virtually unplayable on his first serve. An agitated Edmund, however, needed a medical timeout after the first set and slowed appreciably in the third.
It was a deflating end to a match that had showed promise when the 23-year-old Yorkshireman came out in a blaze of shotmaking to grab early break points.