Marin Cilic outlasted German Michael Berrer 6-4 6-7(5) 6-3 after 2 hours and 38 minutes of play in the Zagreb singles final. The 6’6” Croat blew through his matches this week to secure his spot in the final. It looked like the final would be more of the same.
Cilic secured the first set today by breaking Berrer in game five. The match tightened in the second set, and the German snuck off with it in the tiebreak. The world no. 10 secured the title when he went up 4-1 in the final set. The German gave him a scare while serving for the set, but Cilic fought off two break points and secured the game, the final set and the match.
Today’s title win is Cilic’s fifth-career title. He now has successfully defended his Chennai and Zagreb titles this year. The Croat starts off the year with a 15-1 record. He will take this week off and will play in Dubai the following week.
Championship Sunday
Singles Final
1 Marin Cilic (CRO) def. Michael Berrer (GER) 6-4 6-7(5) 6-3
Doubles Final
J. Melzer (AUT)/P. Petzschner (GER) def. A. Clement (FRA)/O. Rochus (BEL) 3-6 6-3 10-8
(Image: AFP)
Top-seed Marin Cilic looks to go two-for-two tomorrow in defending his titles this year. The Croat is having a banner year so far with a 14-1 record. The 21-year-old successfully defended his title in Chennai in January and will defend his title tomorrow in the Zagreb final. Cilic beat third-seed Jurgen Melzer in today’s first semifinal 7-6(5) 6-4.
The last player standing in his way is Michael Berrer. The German beat his compatriot, Philipp Petzschner 7-6(6) 7-5 in the second semifinal. Cilic and Berrer have never played before, but the German will have his work cut out for him tomorrow against the defending champion.
Saturday's Matches
Singles Semifinals
1 Marin Cilic (CRO) def. 3 Jurgen Melzer (AUT) 7-6(5) 6-4
Michael Berrer (GER) def. Philipp Petzschner (GER) 7-6(6) 7-5
Doubles Semifinals
J. Melzer (AUT)/P. Petzschner (GER) def. 3 M. Damm (CZE)/F. Polasek (SVK) 7-6(4) 6-4
(Image: Hrvoje Polan/AFP/Getty Images)
Marin Cilic defeated the always problematic Ivo “MC” Karlovic 7-6(6) 6-4. Karlovic rained down 24 aces on his compatriot, but the 21 year old was able to get the upper hand in the tiebreak and then obtain a break in the second set.
The world no. 10 will play Austrian Jurgen Melzer in the semifinal. Cilic leads their head-to-head 3-1, but Melzer won their last meeting in Vienna where he had the home field advantage. The tables will be turned on the Austrian tomorrow.
On the other side of the draw, German Michael Berrer upset fourth-seed Viktor Troicki in straight sets. He will advance to play Philipp Petzschner in an all-German semifinal. Petzschner rallied to beat Lukas Lacko, who just came off his upset of second-seed Ivan Ljubicic yesterday. Berrer and Petzschner have never played in ATP competition, but Petzschner does lead their head-to-head 2-1 on the challenger circuit.
Friday’s Results
Singles Quarterfinals
1 Marin Cilic (CRO) def. 7 Ivo Karlovic (CRO) 7-6(6) 6-4
3 Jurgen Melzer (AUT) vs Ilya Marchenko (UKR)
Michael Berrer (GER) def. 4 Viktor Troicki (SRB) 6-4 6-3
Philipp Petzschner (GER) def. Lukas Lacko (SVK) 6-7(1) 6-2 6-2
Doubles Semifinals
A. Clement (FRA)/O. Rochus (BEL) def. B. Becker (GER)/R. Schuettler (GER) 6-3 1-6 10-3
Saturday's Matches
Singles Semifinals
1 Marin Cilic (CRO) vs. 3 Jurgen Melzer (AUT)
Michael Berrer (GER) vs. Philipp Petzschner (GER)
Doubles Semifinals
3 M. Damm (CZE)/F. Polasek (SVK) vs. J. Melzer (AUT)/P. Petzschner (GER)
Saturday’s Order of Play
(Image: PBZ Zagreb Indoors)
Thursday’s Results
Singles Second Round
1 Marin Cilic (CRO) def. Daniel Koellerer (AUT) 62 61
Lukas Lacko (SVK) def. 2 Ivan Ljubicic (CRO) 7-6(3) 5-7 7-6(5)
Philipp Petzschner (GER) def. 6 Benjamin Becker (GER) 1-6 7-6(4) 7-6(6)
7 Ivo Karlovic (CRO) def. Q Alexandre Sidorenko (FRA) 7-6(4) 7-6(8)
Michael Berrer (GER) def. WC Petar Jelenic (CRO) 6-4 6-3
Doubles Quarterfinals
J. Melzer (AUT)/P. Petzschner (GER) def. 1 F. Cermak (CZE)/M. Mertinak (SVK) 6-4 6-4
3 M. Damm (CZE)/F. Polasek (SVK) def. M. Kohlmann (GER)/A. Peya (AUT) 6-4 6-2
B. Becker (GER)/R. Schuettler (GER) def. C. Kas (GER)/E. Korolev (KAZ) 6-4 6-0
A. Clement (FRA)/O. Rochus (BEL) def. 4 R. Hutchins (GBR)/J. Kerr (AUS) 6-3 6-1
Friday’s Order of Play
Top-seed Marin Cilic made a rather impressive premiere in his 6-2 6-2 rout of Czech Jan Hajek after just 56 minutes of work. Seventh-seed Ivo Karlovic advanced after just 38 minutes when his opponent, Croat Antonio Veic retired with an ankle injury.
Ivan Ljubicic was not so lucky. The second-seed had to put in a little more work in his meeting with Arnaud Clement. He beat the French veteran 7-6(4) 6-3 after 96 minutes of play.
Wednesday's Results
Singles First Round
1 Marin Cilic (CRO) def. Jan Hajek (CZE) 6-2 6-2
2 Ivan Ljubicic (CRO) def. Arnaud Clement (FRA) 7-6(4) 6-3
7 Ivo Karlovic (CRO) def. WC Antonio Veic (CRO) 4-5 RET. (left ankle)
Singles Second Round
3 Jurgen Melzer (AUT) def. Oliver Rochus (BEL) 6-2 6-3
4 Viktor Troicki (SRB) def. Mikhail Kukushkin (KAZ) 7-5 7-5
Ilya Marchenko (UKR) def. WC Ivan Dodig (CRO) 6-4 6-2
Doubles First Round
3 M. Damm (CZE)/F. Polasek (SVK) def. J. Levinsky (CZE)/M. Zverev (GER) 6-7(4) 6-3 10-8
B. Becker (GER)/R. Schuettler (GER) def. WC M. Draganja (CRO)/L. Zovko (CRO) 7-6(7) 26 10-4
M. Kohlmann (GER)/A. Peya (AUT) def. J Murray (GBR) / J Murray (GBR) 2-6 7-6(1) 10-7
Thursday’s Order of Play
(Image: Reuters)
Singles First Round
Michael Berrer (GER) def. 5 Janko Tipsarevic (SRB) 7-6(5) 6-3
6 Benjamin Becker (GER) def. Q Andreas Vinciguerra (SWE) 1-6 6-1 7-6(4)
Philipp Petzschner (GER) def. Christophe Rochus (BEL) 6-7(4) 6-3 6-1
Lukas Lacko (SVK) def. Denis Istomin (UZB) 62 22 RET. (right hamstring)
Daniel Koellerer (AUT) def. Andrey Golubev (KAZ) 6-3 3-6 6-3
WC Petar Jelenic (CRO) def. Q Illja Bozoljac (SRB) 7-6(6) 7-5
Q Alexandre Sidorenko (FRA) def. Q Ruben Bemelmans (BEL) 7-6(5) 3-6 6-3
Doubles First Round
C. Kas (GER)/E. Korolev (KAZ) def. 2 J. Knowle (AUT)/R. Lindstedt (SWE) 6-3 7-6(6)
A. Clement (FRA)/O. Rochus (BEL) def. J. Delgado (GBR)/F. Moser (GER) 4-6 7-5 10-8
J. Melzer (AUT)/P. Petzschner (GER) def. D. Istomin (UZB)/A. Motti (ITA) 4-6 7-5 10-8
Wednesday’s Order of Play
Name: PBZ Zagreb Indoors
City: Zagreb, Croatia
Surface: Indoor Hard
Championship Points: 250
2009 Singles Champion: Marin Cilic
2009 Doubles Champions: Martin Damm and Robert Lindstedt
Featured Players: Marin Cilic, Ivan Ljubicic, Jurgen Melzer, Viktor Troicki, Janko Tipsaravic, Benjamin Becker, Ivo Karlovic and Evgeny Korolev
Monday’s Results
Singles First Round
3 Jurgen Melzer (AUT) def. Daniel Brands (GER) 6-4 6-3
4 Viktor Troicki (SRB) def. Rainer Schuettler (GER) 6-3 6-2
WC Ivan Dodig (CRO) def. 8 Evgeny Korolev (KAZ) 7-6(9) 6-4
Olivier Rochus (BEL) def, Igor Kunitsyn (RUS) 4-6 6-2 7-5
Mikhail Kukushkin (KAZ) def. Mischa Zverev (GER) 6-4 6-3
Illya Marchenko (UKR) def. Simone Bolelli (ITA) 6-2 6-4
Doubles First Round
1 F. Cermak (CZE)/M. Mertinak (SVK) def. C. Fleming (GBR)/K. Skupski (GBR) 6-4 6-3
4 R. Hutchins (GBR)/J. Kerr (AUS) def. WC F. Skugor (CRO)/I. Zovko (CRO) 7-6(4) 7-6(5)
Tuesday’s Order of Play
Croat Marin Cilic beat fellow Croat, Mario Ancic in a 91 minute match. Zagreb is Cilic's second title of the year and the fourth title of his career.
Singles Championship:
2 Marin Cilic def. 7 Mario Ancic 6-3 6-4
Doubles Championship:
1 M. Damm/R. Lindstedt def. 4 C. Kas/R. Wassen 6-4 6-3
REUTERS/Nikola Solic
Mario Ancic of Croatia overcame losing the first set and three match points to beat Czech Jan Hernych in three sets. Ancic rallied in the second set and managed to eke out a win in the third set after fighting off three match points.The match took a little over three hours to complete. Meanwhile another Croatian, Marin Cilic had a much easier time dismissing Serb Viktor Troiki. This two-set match lasted an hour and 25 minutes.
These wins set up an all Croatian final, which will be a treat for the hometown fans. The two players have never met before, but Cilic is currently the top-ranked player of Croatia and already has one singles title this year from the Chennai Open.
Singles Semifinals:
2 Marin Cilic def. Viktor Troicki 6-2 7-5
7 Mario Ancic def. Jan Hernych 6(4)-7 6-3 7-6(9)
Doubles Semifinals:
1 M. Damm /R. Lindstedt def. P. Petzschner /A. Peya
PBZ Zagreb Indoors
Mario Ancic beat Antonio Veic in an all Croatian quarterfinal. It took him one hour and 22 minutes to advance to the semifinal, where he will face Jan Hernych. Hernych beat Zverev, who retired in the first set. In the last four meetings with Hernych, Ancic currently leads 4-0.
It took Serbian Viktor Troicki a little over an hour to dispense the defending champion Sergiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine. Troicki will face another Croat, Marin Cilic in the semifinal. Cilic leads the head to head 2-0.
Singles Quarterfinals:
2 Marin Cilic def. wc Antonio Veic 6-2 7-6(6)
7 Mario Ancic def. Q Ivan Dodig 6-1 6-3
Jan Hernych def. Mischa Zverev 5-4 Ret'd
Viktor Troicki def. Sergiy Stakhovsky 6-3 -2
Doubles Semifinals:
4 C. Kas /R. Wassen def. 2 S. Aspelin /P. Vizner 6-2 2-6 10-7
Doubles Quarterfinals:
P. Petzschner /A. Peya def. P. Hanley /J. Kerr 6-4 7-6(5)
PBZ Zagreb Indoors
Singles:
Sergiy Stakhovsky def. 3 Ivo Karlovic 6-4 3-6 6-3
Jan Hernych def 4 Paul-Henri Mathieu 7-6(7) 6-4 6-2 7
Mario Ancic def. Teimuraz Gabashvili 6-1 6-1
Q Ivan Dodig def. Ernest Gulbis 7-6(3) 6-4
Mischa Zverev def. Victor Hanescu 6-4 5-7 7-6(7)
Doubles:
2 S. Aspelin /P. Vizner def. M. Youzhny /M. Zverev 6-4 6-2
P. Hanley /J. Kerr def. I. Andreev /V. Troicki 6-4 3-6 10-5
PBZ Zagreb Indoors
Singles:
Marin Cilic def. Florent Serra 6-2 7-5
Paul-Henri Mathieu def. Roko Karanusic 6-7(6) 6-1 7-6 (3)
Victor Hanescu def. Lovro Zovko 6-3 7-5
Antonio Veic def. Evgueni Korolev 3-6 7-6(5) 6-4
Viktor Troicki def. Ivan Ljubicic 6-4 5-7 6-4
Doubles:
M. Damm /R. Lindstedt def. S. Bolelli /A. Seppi 6-3 7-5 P.
Petzschner /A. Peya def. J. Murray /D. Vemic 6-4 7-5 C.
Kas /R. Wassen def. F. Skugor /J. Topic 6-3 3-6 12-10
M. Youzhny /M. Zverev def. T. Parrott /F. Polasek 6-2 7-6(5)
Viktor Troiki via tennistalk.com
Top-seeded Igor Andreev of Russia lost to a qualifier, Ivan Dodig from Croatia. Two other Croatians, Mario Ancic and Ivo Karlovic move through to the next round.
The match-up of the day was the up-and-coming Ernest Gulbis from Latvia and Russian Dimitry Tursunov. The match lasted almost two hours with the Latvian besting the Russian veteran. Gulbis meets Dodig in the next round.
Singles:
Ivan DODIG def. Igor ANDREEV 6-1 6-4
Ernest GULBIS def. Dimitry TURSUNOV 4-6 6-4 6-4
Mario ANCIC def. Lukas Lacko 6-4 6-7(6) 7-5
Jan HERNYCH def. Nikola MEKTIC 6-3 7-5
Mischa ZVEREV def. Andreas SEPPI 7-6(4) 3-6 6-2
Viktor TROICKI def. Simone BOLELLI 6-3 6-4
Sergiy STAKHOVSKY def. Dominik HRBATY 6-2 4-6 6-1
Ivo KARLOVIC def. Philipp PETZSCHNER 6-3 6-4
Evgeny KOROLEV def, Jurgen MELZER 6-4 6-0
DOUBLES:
M. DAMM/R. LINDSTEDT def. I. DODIG/E. ELESKOVIC 6-3 4-6 10-8
F. SKUGOR/J. TOPIC def. M. GICQUEL/P. MATHIEU 4-6 6-4 10-8
C. KAS/R. WASSEN def. M. CILIC/L. ZOVKO 6-4 7-6(11)
Singles:
Qualifiers:
Dmitry TURSUNOV (RUS) def. George BASTL (SUI) 6-2 7-6(3) Dominik HRBATY (SVK) def. Alexander PEYA (AUT) 7-6(2) 6-4
Lukas LACKO (SVK) def. Jesse HUTA GALUNG (NED) 6-7(7) 6-4 6-0
Ivan DODIG (CRO) def. Martin FISCHER (AUT) 6-1 7-5
1st Round:
Marin CILIC (CRO) def. Arnaud CLEMENT (FRA) 6-4 6-3
Teimuraz GABASHVILI (RUS) def. Mikhail YOUZHNY (RUS) 6-3 6-4
Ivan LJUBICIC (CRO) def. Christophe ROCHUS (BEL) 6-4 6-1
Antonio VEIC (CRO) def. Guillermo CANAS (ARG) 4-6 6-4 6-2
Florent SERRA (FRA) def. Marc GICQUEL (FRA) 6-2 4-6 7-6(2)
Doubles:
ASPELIN (SWE)/ VIZNER (CZE) def. KNOWLE (AUT)/MELZER (AUT) 3-6 7-6(3) 10-4
Singles:
Dmitry TURSUNOV (RUS) vs George BASTL (SUI)
Alexander PEYA (AUT) vs Dominik HRBATY (SVK)
Guillermo CANAS (ARG) vs Antonio VEIC (CRO)
Jesse HUTA GALUNG (NED) vs Lukas LACKO (SVK)
Ivan DODIG (CRO) vs Martin FISCHER (AUT)
Arnaud CLEMENT (FRA) vs Marin CILIC (CRO)
Teimuraz GABASHVILI (RUS) vs Mikhail YOUZHNY (RUS)
Ivan LJUBICIC (CRO) vs Christophe ROCHUS (BEL)
Marc GICQUEL (FRA) vs Florent SERRA (FRA)
Doubles:
BOLELLI (ITA)/SEPPI (ITA) vs MEKTIC (CRO)/ZOVKO (CRO)
KNOWLE (AUT)/MELZER (AUT) vs ASPELIN (SWE)/ VIZNER (CZE)
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