This year’s Roland Garros champion Stan Wawrinka overcame 2014 US Open winner Marin Cilic with 7-5 6-7 (7-9) 6-4 to reach the quarter finals at the Shanghai Rolex Master where he will take on Rafa Nadal.
Wawrinka saved two break points on his first service game. The Lausanne player faced two more break points. This time Cilic converted on his fifth opportunity. Wawrinka broke straight back. In the seventh game Wawrinka had to face another break point chance but he saved it. At 5-4 Wawrinka called for a medical time-out because of a problem on his shoulder but on his return to the court he earned two set points. Cilic was able to save them. At 6-5 Wawrinka converted his sixth break point chance of the set to win a very tight first set.
Cilic earned two break point chances at the start of the second set but Wawrinka held his serve. Wawrinka dropped his serve to love in the third game to go down 1-2. Cilic held his serve until 4-3 when he faced three break-back point chances. The Swiss player converted on his third opportunity for 4-al. Wawrinka held his service game for 5-4 but Cilic drew level to 5-all. Both players held their next serves to force the second set to the tie-break. Cilic got a mini-break but he was broken back when he served for the set. Cilic earned two set points which Wawrinka saved. Cilic saved a match point before converting on his next set point to win the break with 9-7.
Wawrinka broke serve in the third game of the decider to take a 2-1 lead and consolidated the break lead in the next game. He saved two break points in the sixth game for 4-2 before holding his serving games to seal the third set with 6-4 after 2 hours and 54 minutes. Wawrinka won for the ninth time in 10 head-to-head matches.
