By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, September 14, 2018
Marin Cilic scored his 37th career Davis Cup victory breaking the Croatian record of 36 wins he shared with Ivan Ljubicic, Roger Federer's coach and hero of Croatia's 2005 Davis Cup championship squad.
Photo credit: Davis Cup Facebook
Marin Cilic realized a major milestone moving Croatia to within one win of its second Davis Cup final in the last three years.
The red and white blew by the red, white and blue on opening day of the Davis Cup semifinals.
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Croatian No. 1 Cilic crushed Davis Cup debutante Frances Tiafoe, 6-1, 6-3, 7-6 (5) staking host Croatia to a commanding 2-0 lead over the United States in the Davis Cup semifinals staged on the red clay of Zadar, Croatia.
Cilic served 66 percent, cranked 13 aces and permitted just eight points on his first serve.
It was Cilic's 37th career Davis Cup victory breaking the Croatian record of 36 wins he shared with Ivan Ljubicic, Roger Federer's coach and hero of Croatia's 2005 Davis Cup championship squad.
World No. 18 Borna Coric opened the tie defeating Steve Johnson, 6-4, 7-6 (4), 6-3, before an enthusiastic crowd that included Croatian champions Goran Ivanisevic and Iva Majoli.
Johnson beat Coric in their lone prior meeting at the 2017 Roland Garros.
The 21-year-old Coric played over Johnson's head in today's rematch.
The crafty Coric pulled off this ingenious tweener lob winner.
The shot helped Coric defeat Johnson staking Croatia to a 1-0 lead.
Croatia, which swept three straight matches rallying from an 0-2 deficit to knock the USA out of the 2016 quarterfinals, has now won five consecutive rubbers against the Americans.
Croatia can clinch a spot in the November 23-25th final winning the doubles point tomorrow.
Veteran Mike Bryan, fresh off his US Open doubles victory, will partner Ryan Harrison trying to keep American hopes alive against the Croatian duo of Ivan Dodig and Mate Pavic.
In the absence of the Americans top two-ranked players—John Isner is at home in Dallas with wife Madison, who is due to deliver the couple's first child and US Open doubles champion Jack Sock is out with injury—captain Jim Courier tabbed rookie Frances Tiafoe for the massive task of facing Cilic on his home court.
The 20-year-old Tiafoe won the opening point of the match and Cilic answered steamrolling through 12 consecutive points for a 3-0 lead.
The 2014 US Open champion crushed successive aces down the T denying a break point to hold in the fifth game. When Tiafoe slapped a forehand into net, Cilic scored his second break stretching his lead to 5-1.
The Croatian No. 1 won 14 of 15 first-serve points, while a tense Tiafoe served 68 percent, but won a meager three of 13 first-serve points in the 25-minute opening set.
Beating Tiafoe to the punch with potent first-strike tennis, Cilic danced around his backhand and drilled a forehand dagger down the line scoring his second straight break of the second set for a 4-1 lead.
Sliding around behind the baseline and playing a bit more slice, Tiafoe took advantage of the first sloppy patch from the towering Croatian to break back in the sixth game.
Despite a dip in level, Cilic withstood six unforced errors grinding through a tough 10-minute hold for 5-3. When Tiafoe spun a second serve into net, Cilic snatched a two-set lead after just 71 minutes of play.
Serving with more authority and accuracy as the third set progressed, Tiafoe took the third set into a tie break. A smash off the line followed by his ninth ace put the American up 3-0 in the tiebreak.
On this day, Cilic had an answer for every test.
Rallying from a mini-break down, Cilic punched a forehand volley to get back the mini break for 3-4. Cilic reeled off five of the final six points in the tie break closing in two hours, 14 minutes.
If the U.S. wins tomorrow's doubles, Cilic is scheduled to face Johnson in Sunday's first reverse singles with Coric slated to play Tiafoe in the fifth and final match if necessary.
The winner of this semifinal will play either defending Davis Cup champion France or Spain in the November final.
This is the last Davis Cup to feature the traditional home-and-away ties. Next year, Davis Cup will adopt an 18-team week-long World Cup style Davis Cup final feauring round-robin play followed by a knockout round staged at a neutral site.