No. 3 seed Marin Cilic crashed out of Wimbledon in stunning fashion, losing a two set to none lead overnight and failing to secure opportunities on Thursday as unheralded Argentine Guido Pella took a 3-6, 1-6, 6-4, 7-6, 7-5 victory.
Pella could not convert two match points on Cilic’s serve at 4-5, but secured his biggest-ever win two games later when Cilic smashed consecutive forehands in the net.
“The rain (delay) helped me a lot and today I played different,” Pella told the BBC. “I tried to be more aggressive. He started to feel a little bit uncomfortable on the court. So I tried to hit the ball hard and fight for every ball. I think in the end that was why I won.”
The Argentine found a glimmer of hope in the final game played Wednesday evening before the drizzly conditions pushed the players off the court for good. Aided by a Cilic slip on damp grass, Pella broke to go ahead; he easily closed out that set to begin Thursday’s portion of the match.
Still, Cilic had chances. The 2017 runner-up broke Pella early in the fourth set to take a 3-1 lead, but immediately lost his serve to allow Pella back on serve. The overwhelming favorite hit a shocker of a volley on break point in his next service game, handing the world No. 82 an advantage in the fourth set.
He redeemed himself with a crisp slice volley in the next game to break back, but it had become clear that the Queen’s Club champion, widely seen as a primary contender for the bigger grass-court title, had lost his handle on the match.
Cilic had an early edge in the ensuing tiebreaker, but Pella came to life with a passing shot over Cilic’s head to take a mini-break lead. He added another mini-break on a similar sequence later and secured the set at second asking with an easy forehand into an open court.
That set up the decisive final frame, where Cilic had better break opportunities early. Loose play from Pella gave the Croat three break points at 2-2, but an effective wide serve and an ace helped the Argentine improbably see off the threat. The two exchanged service holds, including Cilic’s at 4-5 where he saved two match points with well-timed aces, before Pella stunned the Court 1 crowd.
Cilic had been so dominant in Wednesday’s play — he did not lose a point on his first serve until 2-1 in the second set — that he was expected to close out the match very quickly on Thursday. But his aggressive desire to finish the match in one day backfired, as his slip gave Pella a lifeline that he grabbed firm hold of.
The onetime top-40 player gets an easier third round contest against American Mackenzie McDonald, who like Pella, reached a grand slam third round for the first time.
“To win a match at a grand slam is a very good feeling,” Pella said. “I think I played a very good match, but tomorrow it’s a different match. We will both be under pressure because he is also in the third round for the first time. It will be a tense match, but I think I will play good.”
