Cilic Upsets Djokovic To Reach Paris Semifinals

November 4, 2016 | By New York Tennis Magazine Staff

Former U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic defeated Novak Djokovic for the first time in his career on Friday, ousting the world number one 6-4, 7-6(2) to reach the BNP Paribas Masters semifinals.

Cilic had previously been 0-14 in his career against Djokovic, but came out sharp from the very beginning, snatching an early break before going on to win the opening set 6-4. Djokovic had a chance to serve for the second set at 5-4, but was broken, and Cilic would go on to win the set and match in a tiebreaker, snapping the Serb’s 17-match winning streak in Paris.

“From the beginning to the end I played really smart tennis. I tried to change my game plan [in this match],” said Cilic of his different mentality against Djokovic this time around. “We played 14 times, and we’ve had a lot of tough matches, tough battles over the last couple of years, and I think that helped me prepare. I served well today and was able to hit my spots.”

Djokovic’s defeat now opens the door for Andy Murray to jump past him for the number one ranking in the world. Murray will claim the top spot if he can reach the finals in Paris.

Up next for Cilic is American John Isner, who battled past fellow American Jack Sock 7-6(6), 4-6, 6-4 in a battle of the top-two ranked Americans to book his spot in the final four.

“[It was a] very tough match. Certainly could have gone either way. I thought I played very well. I’m happy to move on,” said Isner. “I was fortunate to start off very well in the third set and put that second set behind me.”


New York Tennis Magazine Staff
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