By Tennis Now | Friday, June 18, 2021
Alex de Minaur snapped Marin Cilic's seven-match winning streak with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 win to reach a Queen's Club semifinal vs. Matteo Berrettini.
Photo credit: cinch Championships Facebook
Alex de Minaur roared into his first Queen's Club semifinal.
The fourth-seeded Aussie erupted in a triumphant "Vamos!" after snapping Marin Cilic's seven-match winning streak with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 triumph in today's cinch Championships quarterfinals.
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Two-time Queen's Club champion Cilic was riding a seven-match winning streak after capturing his 19th career championship on the grass of Stuttgart last Sunday.
A feisty de Minaur denied six of seven break points, won 22 of 30 points played on his second serve and withstood 14 aces from Cilic in a stirring win.
"It was a bit of everything: a bit of tension, a bit of nerves, a lot of relief," de Minaur said of his shout. "I mean, not only for how the day had gone, the conditions, but also just that match.
"Even that last set I had to fight off so many breakpoints and play some of my best tennis. It was not an easy way to finish. I was having to play my best tennis till the last point. "It was a huge relief and, you know, very happy with that performance today."
The 22nd-ranked de Minaur is through to his first semifinal since he collected his fourth career title in Antalya in January.
De Minaur will play top-seeded Matteo Berrettini in Saturday's semifinals.
The ninth-ranked Berrettini backed up his win over Andy Murray by defeating British No. 1 Dan Evans 7-6(5), 6-3. Berrettini bombed 13 aces and saved both break points he faced powering into his third career grass court semifinal.
"Difficult match today. I'm frustrated with how it turned out, to be honest," Evans said. "He's a class player, you know. He will punish you if you... I just couldn't seem to get right ahead in the tiebreak, so it was a bit frustrating, really. That was all.
"I don't think I played too bad of a match. I'm pretty pleased with my two matches here, big court. It would have been nice to get the first set there and see what happened or broke him in the second there and see what happened, but I think I played some decent tennis this week. Of course I had high expectations this week, but you come up against a guy like him who serves like that, it's difficult."
In an all-British quarterfinal, Cameron Norrie converted three of six break points in a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Jack Draper.
It's the fourth semifinal of the season for Norrie, who has reached the final four on three different surfaces in 2021. Norrie will play the winner of tomorrow's quarterfinal between Denis Shapovalov and Frances Tiafoe.