Marin Cilic beats Gilles Muller to set up Feliciano Lopez final at Queens
Marin Cilic survived the rain showers at Queens Club to secure a place in his third Aegon Championships final with a stunning display against Gilles Muller.
The big-serving duo put on a spectacular show for the crowd in London, with Cilic eventually proving too strong as he ran out a 6-3 5-7 6-4 winner.
Cilic – the 2012 champion and 2013 runner-up – was supreme on his own serve throughout the match, dropping just four points on his first serve and firing down an impressive 20 aces.
Muller actually recorded two more aces than his rival but was unable to hold on in the decider as Cilic crucially broke in the seventh game – having applied pressure in the first.
Two service games later and Cilic was celebrating his progression, converting the second match point to reach Sunday’s showpiece.
Cilic wins 6-3, 5-7, 6-4! Muller’s run on the grass ends, and Cilic is into his 3rd #AegonChampionships final. A great match. pic.twitter.com/ArW9ZgomzY
— Aegon Championships (@QueensTennis) June 24, 2017
“It’s just amazing to get to the final,” said Cilic. “Also considering that today’s match was an extremely high level. I was playing really, really good throughout all the match. Gilles was just pushing me to the limits.
“This week I was feeling really good on my serve and especially on the shots afterwards I was playing really well. And also against Gilles today I was mixing it up really good and just playing really well, really smart in some critical points. It’s just paying off nicely.”
He will meet Feliciano Lopez in the final after the Spaniard’s remarkable week continued with a 7-5 3-6 6-2 victory over another former champion in Grigor Dimitrov.
The second semi-final was also delayed by rain but eventually it was Lopez who prevailed after a stirring finish.
Victory for Lopez. Dimitrov sends a ball long and Lopez is in the final! 7-5 3-6 6-2. #AegonChampionships pic.twitter.com/ymOogw6HTR
— Aegon Championships (@QueensTennis) June 24, 2017
There had been little between the duo in the opening two sets as a single break was enough to force a decider. At 2-1 Dimitrov showed all his battling qualities to save six break points but in his next service game he succumbed.
With a 5-2 lead Lopez broke again to secure his place against Cilic – who he has only beaten twice in seven previous meetings.
Two of those matches have comes at Queens with the Croatian triumphant on both occasions.
