Cilic into maiden French Open semi-final as Rune, Ruud eye landmark moments / Photo: © AFP
Cilic into maiden French Open semi-final as Rune, Ruud eye landmark moments
Croatia's Marin Cilic fired 33 aces past seventh-seeded Andrey Rublev to reach his first French Open semi-final on Wednesday with a 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (10/2) win.
Cilic, the 2014 US Open champion, also crashed 88 winners in the four-hour 10-minute tie and will play either eighth-seeded Casper Ruud of Norway or Danish teenager Holger Rune for a place in Sunday's final.
The 33-year-old Cilic becomes only the fifth active men's player after Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray to make the semi-finals at all four Slams.
"The fifth set was an incredible battle," said Cilic who is in his first Slam semi-final in four years.
"Andrey played so well. Today was my day. He just didn't have the luck."
Rublev, playing and eventually losing his fifth quarter-final at the majors, grabbed the first set but wilted under a Cilic barrage over the next two.
The Croatian had stunned world number two Daniil Medvedev in the fourth round and he rediscovered that free-swinging assault to level the contest with a 17th ace on a fifth set point.
He pocketed the third with a lone break in the seventh game.
Rublev, who had knocked Cilic out of the Australian Open in January, battled back with a crucial break in the eighth game of the fourth set.
Cilic, the 2017 Wimbledon and 2018 Australian Open runner-up to Federer, had a match point saved in the ninth game of the decider but swept through the super tiebreaker.
In the night match, 19-year-old Holger Rune of Denmark takes on Norwegian eighth seed Casper Ruud as both men eye landmark runs to the semi-finals.
- 'Serving very well' -
"He was serving very well," said Rublev.
"I relaxed after the first set but then I wasn't thinking.
"I could not manage the emotions in the previous quarter-finals. Today I was close."
World number 40 Rune stunned fourth seed and 2021 runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas to become the first ever Danish man to reach the quarter-finals at Roland Garros.
Victory would make him the youngest semi-finalist at a major since Rafael Nadal defeated Roger Federer on his 19th birthday to make the last-four in Paris in 2005.
Jan Leschly was the last Dane to book a semi-final spot in a Slam at the 1967 US Championships.
Ruud is also seeking a maiden semi-final place in the majors and goes into the tie having defeated Rune in straight sets in all three meetings.
The most recent came on clay in Monte Carlo in April.
Friday's other semi-final will see 13-time champion Rafael Nadal take on Alexander Zverev after his epic quarter-final win over Novak Djokovic.
W.Baxter--TNT
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