By Richard Pagliaro | Sunday, September 16, 2018
Sam Querrey fought off five set points in the second set roaring back for a 6-7 (2), 7-6 (6), 6-3, 6-4, comeback conquest of Marin Cilic to deadlock the United States with host Croatia, 2-2.
Photo credit: Clive Brunskill/Getty
An inspired Sam Querrey snapped a streak of futility to keep American Davis Cup hope alive.
Winless in six prior meetings with Marin Cilic, Querrey fought off five set points in the second-set tiebreak roaring back for a 6-7 (2), 7-6 (6), 6-3, 6-4, comeback conquest to deadlock the United States with host Croatia, 2-2, on the red clay of Zadar, Croatia.
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"I just hung in there," Querrey said afterward. "I was down a break in the second set, fortunately found a way to win that breaker from 6-1 [down]. Fortunately, that last return landed in. It's one of the best matches I've ever played in my career considering the moment and then you're in Davis Cup so I'm really happy."
It was a rousing comeback from Querrey and a surprising collapse from Cilic, who was in control of a set-and-a-half in his first clay-court clash with Querrey.
Down 0-2 after the opening day of play, the USA is now one win from completing its first Davis Cup comeback from a two-set deficit since 1934.
Davis Cup debutante Frances Tiafoe will play Croatian No. 2 Borna Coric with a trip to the final on the line. Two years ago, Coric toppled Jack Sock in the decisive fifth match lifting Croatia to a 3-2 quarterfinal comeback victory over the USA from 0-2 down in Portland, Oregon.
The winner of today's decisive fifth match will advance to the November 23-25th final against defending Davis Cup champion France, which is playing for its 11th Davis Cup crown.
U.S. captain Jim Courier substituted Querrey for Steve Johnson, who was winless in five matches vs. the Croatian No. 1.
Riding a three-match losing streak into this match, Querrey wasn't exactly brimming with confidence at the outset. Cilic reeled off five straight points to take the first-set tiebreak and jumped out to a 4-2 second-set lead.
The 61st-ranked American turned the match around attacking Cilic's second serve and blasting his backhand down the line.
Taking the first strike in rallies, Cilic dominated the early stages of the second-set tiebreak just like the first.
When Querrey scattered a backhand return wide, Cilic had a 6-1 lead and was one point from a two-set lead.
A down-and-out Querrey exploited a sudden lapse from the tense Croatian to storm back. Cilic netted a backhand then slapped a forehand sitter into net for 6-5. Slashing a serve down the T, Querrey leveled the breaker.
Querrey closed a stunning second set turnaround on a pair of Cilic errors tearing through seven straight points to force a third set.
Reading the Cilic serve, Querrey crunched a backhand return breaking for a 3-2 third-set lead.
The backhand is typically Querrey's weaker wing, but he rifled his two-hander down the line holding for 5-3.
Festering frustration erupted in Cilic, who scattered a forehand then splattered his Head racquet leaving a mangled mess and incurring a code violation for racquet abuse.
A stubborn Cilic saved a couple of set points serving at 3-5, but he sent a jittery second serve long to face a third set point. This time Querrey converted for a two sets to one lead.
Stepping in to pounce on a second serve, Querrey cranked a crosscourt backhand rattling out an error for match point.
Initially, Querrey seemed to have closed the match, but a Cilic serve was incorrectly ruled out prompting chair umpire Carlos Ramos to order a replay of the point.
On the replay of match point, Cilic singed the sideline with a forehand to save it.
On his second match point, Querrey closed in three hours, 11 minutes when Cilic netted a forehand.