Cilic Battles Past Dimitrov Into First Masters 1000 Final

Marin Cilic laid it all on the line in a 1:35am finish at the Western & Southern Open as he battled into his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final with a 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 victory over Grigor Dimitrov.

“It’s a big win for me, first time in a Masters 1000 final,” said Cilic, who will face World No. 2 Andy Murray. “I’m looking forward to it. I’m feeling good on the court. I played great this week. I’m excited to be in the final playing against Andy. He is in great form, playing great tennis. I hope tomorrow I’ll play a good match and I know I’ll have a good chance if I play well.”

At 27, Cilic is looking to become the youngest winner of an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown. The right-hander, who this week announced that Jonas Bjorkman will start as his new coach in New York, had previously fallen in all eight quarter-final showings at this level.

After Wimbledon champion Murray had notched his 22^nd straight tour win over Milos Raonic in the first Cincinnati semi-final, rain pushed Cilic’s contest with Dimitrov into the early hours of Saturday morning.

Both players were searching for milestone moments in their careers, but it was Cilic who seized the opportunity, rallying from 2-4 down in the final set. The Croat reeled off four straight points from 0/30 to break Dimitrov at 5-5 and served out victory after two hours and 24 minutes.

“It was a Kings Island of a match,” said Cilic, referring to the iconic rollercoasters across the road from the Lindner Family Tennis Center. “It was definitely a tough match in grueling, heavy conditions. We obviously waited a long time, starting at 11:28pm. Mentally it was not easy. I was not playing too well today. I didn’t find the rhythm on my serve and I was just trying to stay in there in the third set and manage physically.

“[At 2-4] I was trying to give myself some positive thoughts to bounce back. I felt that I was close to playing better. I was just missing by small margins, so I focused on putting the ball in play a bit more and waiting for the right opportunity. I returned well on those occasions and it paid off.”

The 2014 US Open champion Cilic will attempt to overturn a 2-11 FedEx ATP Head2Head record against Murray as he searches for his first victory over the Scot since Rotterdam 2014.

Cilic is chasing his 15^th tour-level title, having only lifted two trophies since his US Open triumph, both in Moscow (2014-15). This year, Cilic has finished runner-up in Marseille (l. to Kyrgios) and Geneva (l. to Wawrinka). He has a 32-17 match record in 2016.