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7/28/11 7:45 PM | Ricky Dimon
Marin Cilic gets off to a winning start at the Croatia Open by battling back from a set down to beat Robin Haase on Thursday. Cilic awaits either Andreas Seppi or Diego Junqueira.
The Umag fans finally had something to cheer about on Thursday.
After hometown seeds Ivan Ljubicic and Ivan Dodig bowed out in their opening matches, Marin Cilic restored order to the Studena Croatia Open and overcame Robin Haase 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in second-round action. Cilic needed two hours and 21 minutes to book his spot in the quarterfinals.
What turned into a baseline battle with plenty of breaks began in more straightforward fashion. The match opened with nine consecutive service holds, at which point Haase seized a break when it mattered most to take the first set in style. Cilic, though, fought back in the second and saved both of the break points he faced to consolidate his lone break that had come in the set's opening game.
A wild start to the third featured three consecutive breaks. Cilic gained an early upper hand, gave it right back for 1-1, but promptly seized his third break of the day for a 2-1 advantage. After a Cilic hold, Haase fought off a break point at 1-3 and held serve to stay within striking distance. The 52nd-ranked Dutchman then had two break-point opportunities of his own but Cilic battled back from 15-40 down for four straight points. Haase seemed to crumble amidst that disappointment as he fell behind 0-40 at 2-4, but he climbed out of the hole and saved a total of four break points for another clutch hold.
Finally, though, Cilic took control and finished off the proceedings without too much trouble. The fourth-seeded Croat enjoyed a rare routine hold to put him one game away from victory and as it turned out he did not have to serve out the match. Cilic missed his first match point with his opponent serving at 3-5, but Haase double-faulted at ad-out to end it.
The world No. 31 sprayed 44 unforced errors and served at a mere 39 percent, but he fired nine aces and won 86 percent of his first-serve points. Cilic will go up against either Andreas Seppi or Diego Junqueira for a spot in the semifinals.
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Marin Cilic 
Robin Haase 
