Unsurprisingly, this US Open was always going to be a struggle for defending champion Marin Cilic. Coming into the tournament on a two-match losing streak the signs were always there to suggest the #9 seed may struggle. Despite beating Guido Pella and Evgeny Donskoy in straight sets in the first 2 rounds, the Croat’s game looked questionable at best. Today was no different with the defending champion clutching out a 6-7(5) 7-6(1) 6-3 6-7(3) 6-1 win over Kazahstan’s Mikhail Kukushkin.
The first set started slowly with both men hitting many errors until Kukushkin struck first getting the early break. Despite serving dreadfully, the defending champion got himself more than back into it and found himself with a chance to close out the set out at 5-3. Unfortunately for his sake his level of play totally collapsed donating the break back and going onto losing the set in a tiebreak 7-5.
The second set was for the most part the same story, with Cilic playing poorly but hanging on. But with Kukushkin scraping out the first set his confidence grew rapidly and his fine powerful ballstriking put him in the firm ascendancy with a 5-2 lead. Just like his opponent in the first set, the Kazakhstani folded under pressure winning just two points in the next three games with Cilic leveling up at 5-5. With a stunning backhand the World #56 found himself with another chance of taking a 2 sets to love lead with 2 set points at 6-5 on the Croat’s serve. But for the first time in the match the real Marin Cilic showed up, saving both with huge serves and going onto claiming the second set winning the tiebreak routinely.
With the match level at one set all it looked like everything was in balance but Marin Cilic had other ideas. For the first prolonged period of the match the defending champion started to up his game, serving well and cutting out the errors. Kukushkin on the other hand looked more deflated than anything after throwing away chances to go up 2 sets to love and although fending off several break points early in the 3rd set he couldn’t fend off another at 3-4. The #9 seed then went onto serve out the set to love with one of his best service games of the match 6-3.
Early in the 4th it was clear Kukushkin’s 5 set win over Grigor Dimitrov in the last round might have had an effect on his body and mind, noticeably looking more tired and unmotivated than previously. This combined with Marin Cilic’s level of play improving, there only looked like one winner. Hitting a stunning backhand down the line winner to break the Kazakhstani in the first game of the 4th it looked all but over. Surprisingly out of nowhere Kukushkin produced a stunning game to break back to love for 3-3. Both men held their own for a tiebreak and the World #56 who looked dead just 45 minutes before produced the goods taking the pair into a 5th set.
It wasn’t long into the 5th set when Cilic regained the upper hand immediately breaking for 2-0 with a love hold for 3-0. Unlike the 4th set this time he didn’t take his foot off the accelerator and cruised home with a 6-1 5th set finishing with his 27th ace.
Overall it was far from the most convincing win last year’s champion could have had today but it’s a win regardless. For his high standards his level of play in the first two sets was far below par, however the clutch play he delivered to get himself out of the second set as well as the solidness of the 3rd and 5th sets is a good sign to suggest he might be improving just in time for the second week.
In the next round the 26 year old will most likely play #7 seed David Ferrer, a man he has a 1-4 H2H against. Their last meeting at Roland Garros this year also ended with the Spaniard routing the Croat 6-2 6-2 6-4. There’s no doubt if Marin Cilic is to continue his title defence he’s going to have to improve drastically for his match on Sunday, because if he continues serving at ~50% first serves and hitting over 50 unforced errors with periods of unforced error after unforced error there will only be one winner.
But who knows, last year Cilic beat Simon in 5 sets on this very same court in Round 4 and then went on to win the championship without dropping another set. So who knows what the future holds for the #9 seed this tournament.
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