Marin Cilic Advances To Semi-Finals After Nadal Retirement In Melbourne - UBITENNIS

Marin Cilic Advances To Semi-Finals After Nadal Retirement In Melbourne

By Tony Fairbairn
4 Min Read
Marin Cilic (zimbio)

Marin Cilic advanced to the Semi-Finals after Rafael Nadal retired due to an upper leg injury. The Croatian was 3-6 6-3 6-7(5) 6-2 2-0 up before the injury occurred. He will now play Kyle Edmund in the Semi-Finals on Thursday. The Retirement was only the second in 264 grand slam matches for Nadal. 

The start of the match saw both players play aggressively as break points were going to come very rarely between two smart and powerful servers. Nadal used his forehand to pin the Croatian on the baseline while Cilic tried to use his forehand to actually dictate play. Despite holding in a 12 minute service game, the sixth seed couldn’t resist the Spaniard any longer as Nadal broke comfortably in the eighth game for a 5-3 lead. An erratic game with new balls cost Cilic as Nadal wrapped up the first set in 54 minutes.

The second set started with more aggression from the Croatian as he looked to bounce back from losing the first set. After four holds of serve, the Croatian lost his concentration after receiving a time violation warning at 15-40. This resulted in a break of serve for the Spaniard and a 3-2 lead. However the back end of the second set saw many unforced errors from Nadal as his level of tennis. The 2014 US Open champion took full advantage as he broke twice and gained four games to take a surprising second set, 6-3.

The third set was the most scrappiest yet most entertaining set as Nadal’s confidence dropped while Cilic’s level increased. The world number one faced a barrage of break points and stunning forehands. The Spaniard showed a few glimpces of brilliance which was enough to force the third set into a tiebreak. As the set wore on the Croatian produced some forehand errors which would cost him in the tiebreak as Nadal took the third 7-6(5). Here is what a 2 set to 1 lead meant to him:

Despite Nadal’s momentum though Cilic was undeterred and a powerful forehand secured a convincing 4-1 lead. Soon after Nadal had received treatment on his upper thigh and was struggling to move. The Croatian took advantage with some stunning forehands as he broke for a second time to force a deciding set.

However that was all of the competitive action we would see because after Cilic broke for a 2-0 lead, Nadal decided that he could no longer continue and retired from the match.

This is what Cilic had to say after the match, “It was an unbelievable performance from both of us and really unfortunate for Rafa. He’s an unbelievable competitor, always gives his best. It is very unfortunate for him to finish this way.”

“I had several break points in this last game and it was absolutely important for me to keep that intensity and to continue with my own game. Not look across the net.” said the Croatian.

It is Nadal’s first retirement since the Australian Open in 2010 and only the second retirement in 264 grand slam matches. However credit to the Croatian who battled to the end of the match and played an incredible contest.

Marin Cilic will now play Kyle Edmund in the Semi-Finals on Thursday.

 

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