By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, April 17, 2015
Novak Djokovic crushed Marin Cilic, 6-0, 6-3, to stretch his winning streak to 15 matches and roar into the Monte-Carlo semifinals.
Photo credit: Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters
Streaks of red clay splattered across Marin Cilic's socks were a reminder of how quickly matters can get messy facing Novak Djokovic on dirt.
A commanding Djokovic is playing with such precision, he can make even Grand Slam champions look disheveled.
The world No. 1 continues to clean up on clay.
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Playing near immaculate tennis for a set, Djokovic demolished Cilic, 6-0, 6-3, scoring his 15th consecutive victory in roaring into the Monte-Carlo semifinals for the seventh time.
Djokovic has dropped just 12 games in three matches as he continues charging toward history. He is playing to become the first man to capture the opening three Masters championship of the season after sweeping Indian Wells and Miami in succession.
“The first set went completely my way,” Djokovic said in his post-match press conference. “I knew he was going to start to change some things in his game so he can start to play a little bit better. But I made a crucial break in the beginning of the second, as well. So the first eight games were really fantastic. I tried to keep it up."
Djokovic snapped Rafael Nadal's record run of eight straight titles in the Principality with a 6-2, 7-6 (1) victory in the 2013 final.
The pair will meet again in Saturday's semifinals. Nadal overcame nerves, a few time-violation penalties and his failure to serve out the second set, but bounced back defeating compatriot David Ferrer, 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, in the final quarterfinal of the day.
The gluten-free Djokovic grew up a pizza fanatic. He has been on a bagel binge recently. Djokovic dispensed a bagel set for the sixth time in his last nine matches and the 10th time this season.
The top seed tore through the first eight games leaving U.S. Open champion Cilic looking overwhelmed and a little haunted against an opponent who had won all 11 of their prior meetings.
A determined Djokovic looked like he was in no mood to surrender a game for much of today's match.
These two have a history that dates back to the junior days and little of that past is positive for Cilic.Though the six-foot-six Cilic is a fine mover, who has cultivated a more aggressive all-court game working with coach and childhood tennis hero Goran Ivanisevic, Djokovic does everything better than Cilic. He was much sharper from the start.
This was a near mission impossible for the Croatian, who was sidelined for the first two months of the season nursing a shoulder injury. Playing just his second tournament of the year, Cilic scored his first two match victories of the season beating Florian Mayer and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in succession to advance to the Monte Carlo quarterfinals for the first time. But Cilic could not hurt Djokovic on serve—the Serbian won 16 of 24 points played on Cilic's second serve—and at times looked helpless to slow the relentless Australian Open champion in baseline rallies.
When Cilic finally stopped the shutout with a rare forehand winner down the line to hold for 1-2 in the second set, he showed a sense of humor. The crowd, eager to see a competitive contest after two quick quarterfinals, roared its approval and a smiling Cilic raised a thumbs up.
Djokovic refused to loosen his stranglehold on the match, quickly holding for 3-1.
Cilic used a drop shot to earn his only break point of the set in the eighth game, but Djokovic nudged the sideline with a topspin forehand to save it. When the Croatian planted his favored two-handed backhand into net he growled in frustration. Then he was swinging in futility.
Djokovic nearly dotted the crown on the Rolex sign drilling an ace off the back green wall for a 5-3 advantage.
Playing some of his boldest tennis down match point, Cilic erased the first match point with a serve winner down the middle. He saved a second match point with an aggressive serve and forehand combination.
A wild backhand down the line strayed wide as Djokovic wrapped up his 15th consecutive victory in 65 minutes.
“All in all, it was probably the best match I’ve played so far in the tournament," Djokovic said. "That’s what I want, what I wish for in this moment. Of course, it encourages me before tomorrow’s big challenge.”