Marin Cilic has stunned world No.2 Andy Murray 6-4, 7-5, in the final of the Cincinnati Open to win his first Masters title.
Despite being a previous grand slam champion, the Croatian player was the clear underdog in the final at the Lindner Family Tennis Center. Cilic has lost to Murray in 11 out of their 14 previous meetings prior to Cincinnati and the Brit was on a 22-match winning streak. Nevertheless, the 27-year-old remained the dominant and more consistent player throughout their latest encounter.
Facing a player who has won three consecutive tournaments prior to Cincinnati, Cilic was fully aware of the threat he faced. This threat became evident from the onset as the Croat survived the intense pressure applied on his serve early on in the match. Initially, it seemed like the world No.2 was the one in control, however, it was Cilic who attacked first. Firing a blistering forehand down the line, he grabbed the early break for 3-2. The break resulted in Murray faltering after a costly volley into the net from the Wimbledon champion secured a double break for his opponent to lead 5-2. Tasked with being the first player this week to take a set off the top seed, Cilic overcame a late blip before sealing proceedings thanks to a Murray unforced error after a thrilling rally.
The telling factor of the opening set was the winner count. The former US Open producing 10, compared to Murray’s below-par tally of 3. It was unclear as to what caused Murray’s mixed first set performance. It could have been tiredness after playing so many matches on the tour or it might have been adjusting to the daytime conditions after playing a series of night matches in Cincinnati. Either way, it played into the advantage of the world No.14.
Cilic’s first set triumph only spurred his rival on as both players produced a serving masterclass throughout the majority of the second set. After ten games, Murray won 70% of his service points compared to Cilic’s superior 87%. A tiebreaker looked certain until an unexpected fault by the match favourite at the worst time. A stern return from Cilic prompted his opponent to produce an error, gifting him a trio of chances to break and serve for the title. All three of those chances was squandered. Eventually the breakthrough occurred when a winning 95 mph Cilic forehand was followed by a Murray error. The mood of the Brit deteriorated when he was issued with a time violation moments before he was broken.
Closing in on his maiden Masters title, the former US Open champion rallied to 40-0 with a winner down the centre of the court. The milestone win was sealed with a speedy backhand winner towards the edge of the court.
Now THAT is how you celebrate winning your 1st ATP Masters1000 title! 👏 @cilic_marin https://t.co/StKfujt5eJ
— W&S Open (@CincyTennis) 21 August 2016
The impressive performance by the Croat is illustrated best by the match statistics. Hitting 24 winners (three times more than Murray) and seven Aces, the 27-year-old has won his first title since the 2015 Moscow Open.
“I wanted to congratulate Andy for the last couple months and last week in Rio. He’s such a great player and his dedication to tennis is great.” Cilic said during his award ceremony.
“It shows to us on the tour that he is always trying to improve.”
Murray wasn’t the only person that Cilic gave a special mention to. He also thanks his new coach Jonas Bjorkman, who was recently hired.
