Cilic and Rublev played the first super tiebreak in the history of the Philippe-Chartrier Court – the new tiebreak rule in the fifth set was only introduced before the 2022 French Open. In the tiebreak, Cilic scored nine points in a row following 1:2 and converted his first match point following 4:10 hours of play. Rublev was close to tears.
“Today I was just me. The fifth set in particular was an enormous struggle. Andrey played incredibly well and was also incredibly fair. But somehow today was my day,” said the 33-year-old happy winner.
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The 33-year-old Croatian was last in the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam tournament in New York in 2018. In 2017 he reached the final at Wimbledon and in 2018 at the Australian Open.
Nine points in a row! Cilic dominates match tiebreak, Rublev close to tears
Cilic catches up with the Big Four
The 1.98 m giant hit a total of 33 aces once morest Rublev. There were only four breaks in total – each decided a set. In the end, Cilic, the player who was more willing to take risks, prevailed: 88 winning strokes faced the Croatian with 71 unforced errors (Rublev: 35 and 31). “It was a tough day in the office,” Cilic said Eurosport.
Alongside Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, the Croatian is the only active player to have reached the semifinals in all four Grand Slam tournaments. “It makes me incredibly proud,” said Cilic.
Quarterfinals: Cilic wrestles Rublev in match tiebreak – highlights
“Incredible! He used to move much worse on sand,” analyzed Mischa Zverev Eurosport: “But now, at 33, he’s suddenly got it.”
“What a fight,” said John McEnroe Eurosport with Cilic: “You deserve it.”
First a cracking return, then luck with the net edge – Cilic breaks Rublev
Rublev narrowly misses a Grand Slam semifinal for the fifth time
After the US Open 2017 and 2020 as well as the French Open 2020 and the Australian Open 2021, it is Rublev’s fifth quarter-final defeat in a Grand Slam.
At the beginning of the fifth set, Rublev caused great applause when the score was 1: 1 and Cilic’s serve. Although the linesman and chair umpire saw his opponent stop the ball out of bounds, Rublev agreed to the point being repeated.
“Don’t hurt yourself!” Rublev ticks out and punches himself between the legs
Cilic saw the ball on the line and had a lively discussion with the referee. Rublev’s gesture was not only applauded by the audience, but also by Cilic. “He really is one of the nicest people ever,” said Mischa Zverev.
And Cilic said: “In a match like this, every point counts. He showed great sportsmanship. He’s an incredible guy and was just unlucky in the end today.”
(with SID)
Cilic in the circle of the Big Four: “It makes me incredibly proud”
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