By Chris Oddo | Saturday, September 6, 2014
Marin Cilic turned in a flawless performance, putting a premature end to Roger Federer's bid for an 18th Grand Slam title.
Photo Source: AP
The crowd hardly had time to roar for their hero, and though Roger Federer tried, he could not provide adequate resistance against Marin Cilic’s frightening display of power tennis on Saturday evening in New York.
Day 13: Nishikori Downs Djokovic, Becomes Japan's First Grand Slam Finalist
In the end a subdued packed house at Arthur Ashe Stadium bore witness to a pitch-perfect performance from the blossoming Croat, who bludgeoned Federer with jaw-dropping serves and returns to storm to a 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 victory and reach first career Grand Slam final.
Cilic’s triumph, coupled with Kei Nishikori’s upset of Novak Djokovic earlier on Saturday, sets up a meeting of first-time Grand Slam finalists for the first time since 2005 and marks only the third time in the last 39 Grand Slams that a member of tennis’s big four (comprised of Federer, Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray) will not win the title.
Cilic impressed himself with a performance that he claimed to be pleasantly surprised by. "First point to the last I was absolutely playing the best tennis of my life," he said. "It just can't be more special."
As for Federer, there was very little that he could have done to derail the steaming Cilic train. The 17-time Grand Slam champion was under pressure from the onset, and though he stayed close in the first two sets, and even enjoyed a brief lead in the third, the sheer power and precision being delivered from the 6’6” Croat’s side of the court gave him little choice but to hang on, defend and wait for a lapse in concentration that never came.
“It's fairly simple,” said Federer. “I think Marin played great. I think that was pretty much it in a nutshell.”
Cilic moved ahead with his first break in the fourth game of the first set, claiming five consecutive points from 40-0 down, and never looked back, closing the opener in a crisp 28 minutes behind 17 winners, five aces, and 13 of 15 first serve points won.
He would break in the first game of the second set and hold his serve comfortably for the remainder, beginning the final game by clocking his 9th ace, and closing the set on his 10th.
In the third set Federer would bring the crowd to life when he lashed a backhand down the line winner to break for a 2-0 lead, but Cilic broke back immediately when he crushed a two-handed backhand that an out of position Federer could only float back into the net.
Another break in the seventh game put Cilic on the cusp of his first win in six career matches with Federer.
While serving for the match, nerves never entered the equation. "I didn't feel a thing," Cilic would later say. Three consecutive aces took Cilic to match point, and he closed proceedings on the next point, raising his arms in jubilation before heading to shake hands with the legend who may have seen his last chance at a Grand Slam title vanish like vapor into the New York evening.
“I'm definitely not happy the way I was able to return his serve,” Federer, who was only able to finagle six of 45 points against the Cilic first offering, would say after the match. “I expect better from myself.”
Asked to comment on what the loss could mean in terms of his pursuit of more major titles, Federer said that beyond the disappointment, it would be business as usual. “I really felt like I could win this tournament,” he said. “Obviously that's not going to happen. That's why there is always disappointment.”
He added: “I'll give it a go again in Australia; hope to be healthy there. I enjoy playing there. It's been one of my most consistent slams. I hope to get another chance at it. I can't do more than try really hard, which I'm doing.”