IMAGE: Croatia’s Marin Cilic celebrates match point against Andrey Rublev. Photograph: Adam Pretty/Getty Images
Marin Cilic completed his set of Grand Slam semi-finals by knocking out No.7 seed Andrey Rublev 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(10/2) in a marathon showdown on Wednesday at Roland-Garros.
Cilic, a US Open champion in 2014 and a former runner-up at the Australian Open and Wimbledon, had never made it past the quarters in Paris but has now made the semis or better at all four majors.
IMAGE: Marin Cilic reacts as umpire Alison Hughes watches. Photograph: Adam Pretty/Getty Images
The 33-year-old Cilic now awaits the winner of tonight’s showdown between No.8 seed Casper Ruud and Danish teenager Holger Rune.
Rublev clinched a 57-minute opening set before Cilic raced to take the next two. The world No.7 fought hard to force a decider, in which he saved a match point when serving at 4-5.
IMAGE: Andrey Rublev has now lost all five Grand Slam quarter-finals he has reached so far in his career. Photograph: Adam Pretty/Getty Images
Rublev had a chance to break for 6-5 but some clutch serving from Cilic got the Croatian out of trouble as he held for 6-5 in an eight-minute game. The match fittingly went to a deciding tiebreak, which Cilic valiantly snatched to punch his ticket to the last four.
Rublev has now lost all five Grand Slam quarter-finals he has reached so far in his career.
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