By Richard Pagliaro | Saturday, August 18, 2018
Novak Djokovic defeated Marin Cilic, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, avenging his Queen's Club final loss and charging into his third final of the season.
Photo credit: Western & Southern Open Facebook
Sprinting to his right, Novak Djokovic cracked a running forehand down the line that slithered past a net-rushing Marin Cilic curling into the corner of the court for the key break of the final set.
Passionate pursuit of the ball propelled Djokovic past 2016 champion Cilic, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, into his sixth Cincinnati final.
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"Well, in a way you feel the sense of urgency, because there is not much time left," Djokovic said of breaking in the eighth game. "Yesterday 4-3 in the third, today 4-3 in the third I make crucial breaks.
"But, I mean, I wasn't, you know, just kind of closing my eyes and going for the shots. I was trying to tactically play smart and strategically play the certain shots that will put me in a better position than my opponent."
Dogged determination has brought Djokovic to within one win of a Masters milestone.
The 30-time Masters champion plays for history tomorrow.
If Djokovic captures his first Cincinnati crown, he will make history as Master of Masters and become the first man to win all nine Masters 1000 championships.
The Wimbledon champion denied nine of 12 break points snapping Cilic's nine-match Cincinnati winning streak.
Continuing his quest for his 70th career title, Djokovic raised his record to 32-10 on the season, including a 10-4 hard-court mark.
The 10th-seeded Serbian will play seven-time champion Roger Federer in tomorrow's 4 p.m. final.
The second-seeded Swiss led David Goffin, 7-6 (3), 1-1, when the 11th-seeded Belgian returned from tonight's semifinal with a shoulder issue.
The 31-year-old Djokovic holds a 23-22 edge over Federer in their head-to-head series. The 37-year-old Federer scored straight-sets wins over Djokovic in the 2009, 2012 and 2015 Cincinnati finals.
"I hope it will not be the same final for me but we will play each other after a long time," Djokovic said. "We haven't played each other for quite some time, which is unusual, because I'm used to playing Roger, over the course of almost 10 years, I have played him so many times. Played him the most after the rivalry with Nadal."
Djokovic said his rivalry with Federer has shaped his game.
"He has influenced greatly, the rivalry with him and him personally has influenced the evolution of my game," Djokovic said. "So, I mean, it would be the greatest challenge in Cincinnati, without a doubt, and many tournaments, especially here, because he's been dominating this tournament historically.
"He won against me several times in finals. You know, obviously he feels great in these conditions and this surface. But, you know, obviously he has to win his semifinals, and we'll see what happens tomorrow."
Today's opening men's semifinal was a rematch of the Queen's Club final when Cilic saved championship point outdueling Djokovic, 5-7, 7-6 (4), 6-3, for his second win over the Serbian in 16 career clashes.
The Monte-Carlo neighbors took turns controlling the center of the court today in a patchy played in sticky conditions.
The Cilic forehand can be a weapon and a more volatile shot that his two-handed backhand.
Picking on the Croatian's forehand, Djokovic drew cluster of errors breaking for 2-1. The 31-year-old Djokovic quickly backed up the break in the third game.
Whether it was the searing sun or the pressure of a Grand Slam opponent, the Djokovic second serve was sporadic at times.
After clanking a double fault in the sixth game, Djokovic was hit with a time-violation warning by chair umpire Fergus Murphy for exceeding the serve clock.
Djokovic briefly debated the call then got back to work surviving a shaky service game with a 68 mph second serve for 4-2.
The 13-time Grand Slam champion saved another break point with a twisting serve as he served out the 58-minute first set on a Cilic backhand error.
Hitting off his back foot, Djokovic netted a forehand to gift the break and a 2-0 second-set lead. An angry Djokovic slapped his towel with his racquet in disgust.
In an up-and-down game that followed, Cilic overcame two double faults, serve-and-volleyed twice and finally worked through a tough hold for 3-0.
Working through an arduous 10-minute service game, Cilic saved a break point then caught a break when his flat forehand collided with the tape, popped several feet in the air adding to suspense, then trickled over net by inches.
The Australian Open finalist thumped a smash stretching his lead to 4-1 after the longest game of the match.
A disconsolate Djokovic double-faulted away the break in the sixth game. By then, Cilic was cleanly beating the former No. 1 to the punch and had hit 15 more winners (16 to 1) in the second set.
Still, Cilic ran into turbulence netting a forehand as Djokovic broke back for 2-5 before the Croatian closed in his next service game.
Grand Slam champions took turns trying to play first-strike tennis in the decider.
Cilic, who had good success attacking net in the first two sets, tried approaching behind a forehand down the line. But the former US Open champion didn't hit his approach close enough to the line and didn't cover the line.
Djokovic made him pay, streaking to the ball and slashing a forehand pass that curled into the corner of the court sealing the decisive break for 5-3 and evoking an eruption from the crowd after two hours, 29 minutes of physical play.
"When you play guys like Cilic and Raonic, you kind of have to be lucky to anticipate their serve, try to block it, try to put it in play, and again, develop a point in a way which will allow you to win it," Djokovic said. "You know, today I made a passing shot down the line, which was, you know, quite awesome, and I was lucky to hit the line. That's what happens."
Increasing the depth of his drives, Djokovic closed his 15th win in 17 meetings with Cilic.