Match report

Fernando Verdasco © Tennistalk.com
ATP Masters Series Madrid
2nd round
10/14/08 1 2 Tot
es  Fernando Verdasco 2 3 0
hr  Marin Cilic 6 6 2
Marin Cilic © Tennistalk.com

  • Cilic delivers big blow to Spain

    10/14/08 4:52 PM | Ricky Dimon
    Marin Cilic crushes Fernando Verdasco on Tuesday afternoon at the Masters Series Madrid, sending Spain's first seeded player tumbling out of the tournament.

    Playing in his first tournament since the U.S. Open, Marin Cilic overwhelmed Fernando Verdasco 6-2, 6-3 to reach the Madrid third round on Tuesday. Paralysis of a left facial nerve sidelined him for month--and not at a good time since Cilic had been in outstanding form--but it did not seem to affect the 20-year-old in a first-round win over Oliver Rochus or against Verdasco.

    It was clear right from the start that neither rust nor Verdasco would give Cilic any trouble. A dominant first set saw Cilic lose just six points on serve without facing a single break point, while using two breaks to take it 6-2. Verdasco was hopeless on second-serve points and the Spaniard sprayed far too many errors from the baseline off the forehand side.

    More of the same continued throughout the second set, although a poor attitude in addition to poor play infested Verdasco's game. The No. 13 seed offered little resistance to Cilic, who raced out to a 5-1 lead. Suddenly, however, Verdasco settled down and Cilic got tight, dropping serve for the first time while trying to close out the match. Nonetheless, it was just a brief aberration to an otherwise stellar performance by Cilic and a brutal display from Verdasco. Cilic hit some clutch serves at 5-3 to finish off the proceedings in one hour and 16 minutes.

    Cilic's next opponent, Andy Murray, was in the process of clobbering Simone Bolelli 6-0, 2-1 when the Italian retired with a shoulder injury. Murray leads the head-to-head series with Cilic 1-0, having defeated the 6'6'' Croat in a five-set Davis Cup rubber last year on grass.

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Comments

Cilic is good! I will never forget how hard Novak had to work to win against him in a 4 set thriller at the US Open!!!! I guess more to come form this young tennis player!

arailic , 10/14/08 7:48 PM


I was at that match and it was MEMORABLE.

Just a shame it didn't go 5. It would have ended at 2:30 AM instead of 1:30.

RickyDimon , 10/15/08 12:51 AM


Marin is phenomenal. He is not only a great, young player, he is a good kid. I wish him all the best.

danica , 10/15/08 12:17 PM


^^^ +1

RickyDimon , 10/15/08 8:45 PM



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