Croatian powerhouse Marin Cilic has worn down Sam Querrey in four sets in to reach his maiden Wimbledon final.
Cilic ended Querrey’s giantkilling run with a 6-7 (6-8) 6-4 7-6 (7-3) 7-5 victory over the American and awaits the winner of Friday’s second semi-final between seven-times champion Roger Federer and 2010 runner-up Tomas Berdych.
The 2014 US Open champion is bidding to become the first player other than grand slam heavyweights Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka to land two career majors since Lleyton Hewitt collected his second at Wimbledon back in 2002.
“Unbelievable, absolutely unbelievable,” Cilic said.
“Especially the way the tournament unfolded from the first round. I was playing really good tennis.”
Cilic is the first Croat to make the title decider since his former coach Goran Ivanisevic denied Pat Rafter in a classic five-setter in 2001.
Winless in four previous meetings with Cilic, Querrey made a promising start but three successive gruelling five-set wins over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Kevin Anderson and top-seeded titleholder Andy Murray eventually took a toll.
Physically battered and emotionally drained, the one-time Queen’s Club winner again battled doggedly for four minutes shy of three hours before finally succumbing to Cilic’s explosive firepower.
The 28-year-old seventh seed crunched 25 aces in advancing to the final of tennis’s greatest stage.
With both their previous encounters at Wimbledon going the distance, including Cilic’s 17-15 fifth-set escape in 2012, the writing was on the wall that this would be a marathon match.
There was high drama in the first-set tiebreak when an elderly spectator collapsed in the stands, forcing a four-minute delay at one of the most critical moments in the match.
Having been denied a set point after Querrey successfully challenged what Cilic thought was an ace, the Croatian had to-re-set after the crowd disturbance.
Despite the benefit of being given another first serve, a visibly distracted Cilic promptly dragged two terrible backhands wide to gift Querrey the opening set after the lady was escorted by service stewards from Centre Court and treated by the St John’s Ambulance.
Officials later said woman was okay.
It was a valiant fightback from the American, who had trailed 4-1 earlier in the tiebreak.
Cilic regained his focus to break Querrey in the seventh game of the second set with a scorching backhand pass before putting the match back on level terms.
He slammed his 22nd forehand winner to nab the third set in another tiebreaker and appeared to be sailing to victory after claiming a key break early in the fourth.
But, not for the first time in this tournament, dug deep to break straight back to briefly stall Cilic’s progress.
But there was no denying Cilic as he prevailed on his second match point with his 70th winner.
