NISHIKORI, CILIC SET UP REMATCH OF U.S. OPEN FINAL IN WASHINGTON, D.C.

Written by: Staff on 7th August 2015

NISHIKORI, CILIC SET UP REMATCH OF U.S. OPEN FINAL IN WASHINGTON, D.C.

Japan's Kei Nishikori in action against Australia's Sam Groth during their quarter final match at the Citi Open tennis tournament in Washington, DC, USA, 07 August 2015. EPA/SHAWN THEW |

Nishikori, Cilic set up rematch of U.S. Open final in Washington, D.C.

By Ricky Dimon

It’s not every day that you see a Grand Slam final matchup in the semis of a 500-point event. But that is what the Washington, D.C. faithful will be treated to on Saturday. Kei Nishikori and Marin Cilic won their respective quarterfinal clashes on Friday to set up the blockbuster showdown.

Nishikori beat Sam Groth 6-4, 6-4 in a match that may have been more competitive than the scoreline suggests. Groth got a look at four break points (one in the first set, three in the second) but could not convert on any occasion. As such, donations of his booming serve in the seventh game of the opener and the fifth game of the second set proved to be too much for the Australian to overcome.

After one hour and 26 minutes, Nishikori punched his ticket to the semifinals.

“It was my first time playing against Sam,” the No. 2 seed reflected. “I had to guess on my returns a lot since as hard as he serves, it’s tough to see the ball. But I was feeling good on my returns, coming in more than usual and being aggressive.”

Croatia’s Marin Cilic in action against Germany’s Alexander Zverev during their quarter final match at the Citi Open tennis tournament in Washington, DC, USA, 07 August 2015. EPA/SHAWN THEW

Cilic’s own aggressive tennis has been serving him well this summer following a tough, injury-plagued start to the 2014 campaign. On the heels of a fourth-round performance at the French Open and a quarterfinal run at Wimbledon, Cilic has not dropped a set in wins this week over Hyeon Chung, Sam Querrey, and Alexander Zverev.

The eighth-ranked Croat has been clutch, too. He is 4-0 in tiebreakers so far this tournament after surviving Zverev 7-5, 7-6(3) on Friday.

“It’s great to be back in the semifinals here and to have a chance to play against Kei in the United States,” Cilic commented. “For sure it is going to be an exciting and entertaining match. It’s a great way to start the summer hard-court season, and I feel that my form is getting better match after match.”

Cilic and Nishikori will be meeting again for the first time since the U.S. Open final and for the ninth time overall. Cilic cruised 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 in Flushing Meadows for by far the biggest triumph of his career, but Nishikori still leads the head-to-head series 5-3.

The Japanese star has won four of their seven hard-court encounters, with one of those victories coming in a five-setter that lasted five hours at the 2010 U.S. Open.

Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand.

Topics: 10sballs.com, Atp World Tour, Citi Open tennis, Kei Nishikori, Marin Cilic, Ricky Dimon, Tennis News, Washington D.C.

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10sBalls_com says:

August 7, 2015 at 9:22 pm

-@keinishikori, @cilic_marin SET UP REMATCH OF U.S. OPEN FINAL IN #Washington, D.C.- http://t.co/aiYD90iRVX #tennis @CitiOpen #CitiOpen
robinsportsnews says:

August 7, 2015 at 9:25 pm

RT @10sBalls_com: -@keinishikori, @cilic_marin SET UP REMATCH OF U.S. OPEN FINAL IN #Washington, D.C.- http://t.co/aiYD90iRVX #tennis @Citi…