In a surprising twist at the ATP 500 tournament in Dubai, Marin Cilic, the 36-year-old former US Open champion, ousted world number 8 tennis player, Alex de Minaur. This victory established Cilic’s first top-10 triumph since his performance at Roland Garros in 2022.
Cilic’s tennis season got off to a late start this year, with his first match occurring only a week ago in Doha, where he put up a strong fight against Carlos Alcaraz despite a 6-4, 6-4 defeat. However, his resilience was rewarded when he faced another top-tier player in Dubai and emerged victorious, marking his first win of the season.
The match between Cilic and de Minaur was replete with 80 unforced errors. Despite this, Cilic, with his wealth of experience, managed to land 27 winners and 48 unforced errors. He faltered on his backhand but compensated by reducing de Minaur’s offensive prowess. De Minaur, on the other hand, ended the match with nine winners and over 30 mistakes.
Cilic demonstrated superior service skills and kept pace with de Minaur’s baseline game, ultimately earning his deserving victory. He adeptly saved five out of seven break points and capitalized on both opportunities he had. The seasoned player secured four breaks out of four chances and pulled ahead with a single return game in the decider.
The Croatian tennis star hit the ground running, scoring a break at love in the first game with a forehand winner, followed by a hold in the next one with an ace. He continued to exert dominance, delivering another break at love in the third game. Despite facing deuces on serve in games four and six, Cilic managed to carve out a 5-1 advantage.
The Aussie player, de Minaur, struggled in the second set, spraying a double fault in the third game and falling a set and a break behind. Cilic then faced his first setback in the fourth game, forfeiting a 40-15 lead with a wide forehand to suffer a break, leading to a 2-2 tie.
In the sixth game, Cilic had to work hard on serve, saving three break points with service winners. Undeterred, de Minaur continued to put pressure on Cilic’s return in the eighth game. Taking advantage of a weak forehand drive-volley from Cilic, de Minaur converted a break chance, gaining a 5-3 lead. World number 8 then served for the set in the ninth game and held at 30 with a service winner, pushing the match into a decider.
Cilic stumbled at the beginning of the final set, missing his timing and sending a backhand wide. However, de Minaur failed to capitalize on the break chance, missing a return. Cilic improved his serve in the third and fifth games and made a push at 3-2.
The end seemed near for de Minaur as he squandered a game point and double-faulted, falling 4-2 behind. Despite generating a break chance in the seventh game, a loose backhand cost him the opportunity. A routine forehand into the net by the Aussie brought Cilic a comfortable 5-2 lead.
Cilic served for the win at 5-3. He landed a volley winner in the first point and, after a long rally and a mistake by de Minaur, he earned a match point. With a winning shot at the net, Cilic sealed the deal, marking his most significant victory in nearly three years.
The Croatian tennis star’s next challenge will be against another Australian player, Alexei Popyrin, in the second round. With his current momentum, it will be interesting to see how far Cilic can progress in this tournament.