Cilic Claws Past Isner To Earns 1st Win Of The Week

It’s no secret that one of the toughest tasks in all of tennis is breaking John Isner’s serve. But Marin Cilic broke the American three times in a row at the end of the second set and the beginning of the decider on Wednesday to earn his first victory of the 2018 Nitto ATP Finals, 6-7(2), 6-3, 6-4.

Cilic puts an end to a four-match losing streak at the season finale, capturing the second victory of his career at The O2 (2-9). And since Cilic lost a set, Group Guga Kuerten leader Novak Djokovic (2-0) is through to the semi-finals at the season finale for the eighth time.

Thirty-year-old Cilic got some help from the big-serving Isner, who double-faulted two breaks to Cilic. It was a surprising sight, as Isner entered the tournament second in ATP World Tour history in break points saved according to Infosys ATP Scores & Stats, staving off 70.5 per cent of them in his career. The oldest first-time qualifier at the Nitto ATP Finals since 35-year-old Andres Gimeno in 1972 saved his first five break points of the match.

But Cilic increasingly put returns in play, doing well to recover close to neutral by placing those returns deep in the court. And perhaps it was that pressure that forced Isner to go for more, getting broken via a double fault at 3-4 in the second set and to begin the third set.

But even still, Isner was not out of the match just yet, as a sloppy service game from Cilic, which included a double fault, evened the third set. The Croat broke for the third time in a row though, managing to throw Isner’s footwork off with another deep return near the baseline.

It’s easy to forget that Isner began his 2018 ATP World Tour season 2-6 at tour-level. But perhaps the turning point of his season came at the Miami Open presented by Itau, where the American upset then-World No. 3 Cilic in the Round of 16 en route to becoming the oldest first-time ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titlist.

Cilic exacted his revenge in London, though, extending his FedEx ATP Head2Head series against Isner to 8-3. The Croat had lost his only previous match on an indoor hard court against the Nitto ATP Finals debutant two years ago at the Rolex Paris Masters.

The 18-time tour-level champion will next face Novak Djokovic in the final match of round-robin play. Cilic has won just two of 18 FedEx ATP Head2Head matches against the World No. 1, but he saved championship point against the Serbian earlier this season before triumphing at the Fever-Tree Championships.