Paris : Croatia’s Marin Cilic fired 33 aces past seventh-seeded Andrey Rublev to reach his first French Open semi-final on Wednesday with a 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (10/2) win. Cilic, the 2014 US Open champion, also crashed 88 winners in the four-hour 10-minute tie and will play either eighth-seeded Casper Ruud of Norway or Danish teenager Holger Rune for a place in Sunday’s final.
The 33-year-old Cilic becomes only the fifth active men’s player after Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray to make the semi-finals at all four Slams. The fifth set was an incredible battle, said Cilic who is in his first Slam semi-final in four years. Andrey played so well. Today was my day. He just didn’t have the luck. World number eight Ruud triumphed 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 (7/2), 6-3 over teenager Rune.
Rune, ranked 40, had knocked out fourth seed and 2021 runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas in the fourth round. World No.1 Polish superstar Iga Swiatek beat USA’s Jessica Pegula 6-3, 6-2 in the quarter-final of the French Open 2022 at Phillippe-Chatrier. She has now won 33 matches in a row and will look to equal Serena Williams’ record of 34 straight wins during her semi-final match against Daria Kasatkina.
India’s Rohan Bopanna reached his first Grand Slam semifinals in seven years after he and his Dutch partner Matwe Middelkoop rallied to beat Lloyd Glasspool and Henri Heliovaara in the men’s doubles quarterfinals of the French Open.
