By Chris Oddo | Wednesday, July 8, 2015
Novak Djokovic sailed past Marin Cilic for a thirteenth consecutive time to reach the Wimbledon semis on Wednesday.
Photo Source: Stephen White/Camerasport
After being taken five sets—and stretched out for two days—by the dangerous South African Kevin Anderson in the round of 16, Novak Djokovic shifted back to cruise control on Wednesday and eased past his longtime whipping boy Marin Cilic for a 13th consecutive time, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.
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Djokovic did not face a break point all day, and cracked 27 winners against only 12 unforced errors. He finished in a crisp one hour and 49 minutes, ensuring himself plenty of rest before the battles that lie ahead over the weekend.
“Very solid performance after a very tough five-set fourth-round against Kevin,” Djokovic said. “I didn’t know how my body was going to feel.”
Djokovic was able to notch an early break in the third game of set one and he wasn’t troubled for the rest of the set.
“I managed to put a lot of balls back in play and tactically I played very well,” Djokovic said.
The second set was closer, but when Cilic netted a backhand slice to hand Djokovic a break for a 5-4 lead, the Serb served it out to take a 2-0 lead. He would break in the third set, snuffing out any chance for drama, to grab a 5-3 lead.
The Serb’s victory means that he’s passed Andre Agassi to move into fourth on the ATP’s all-time Grand Slam semifinal list with 27. He trails only Roger Federer (37), Jimmy Connors (31) and Ivan Lendl (28) in that category.
Djokovic also picked up his 650th career ATP win and his 50th Wimbledon win on Wednesday. The world No. 1 will face Richard Gasquet in the semifinal for a shot at his third Wimbledon title.
Djokovic is 12-1 lifetime vs. Gasquet. He has won the last nine, but the pair have never met on grass.