Cilic battles into quarters

Originally published on: 26/02/10 12:58

The Croatian second seed, ranked 14th in the world, struggled to find his rhythm in the first set, which he eventually lost in a tie-break to his Spanish opponent.

But Cilic fought back to claim the next two sets and win a match that stretched to two hours and 46 minutes, with the 21-year-old taking five of his 14 break points.

Serbia’s Janko Tipsarevic claimed a comfortable straight-sets victory, the world number 38 easing to a 6-2 6-1 win over India’s Somdev Devvarman.

Devvarman was a surprise final opponent for Cilic last year but Tipsarevic ensured there would be no repeat.

Tipsarevic will now meet Holland’s Thiemo De Bakker, who beat compatriot Robin Haase 6-3 6-4, while there were also a win for Colombia’s Santiago Giraldo, who beat Czech Jan Hajek 6-4 6-2 and next meets Cilic.

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By Tim Farthing

About the Author / Tim Farthing

Tim Farthing, Tennishead Editorial Director & Owner, has been a huge tennis fan his whole life. He's a tennis journalist and entrepreneur as well as playing tennis to a national standard. He also helps manage his local club and volunteers for his local tennis organisation. He's a specialist in content about the administration of professional tennis and tennis coaching for all levels.