STO 3rd seed Cilic holds off tough Korean challenge to reach the semis!
By Dillon Lim
The third Men’s Singles quarter-finals of Day 5 at the Singapore Tennis Open saw the 8th seed, Kwon Soon-woo (ranked 81) take on the 3rd seed, Marin Cilic (ranked 44). Both players were playing for a spot in the last 4 of the tournament.
Kwon kicked things off with a quick approach shot and a backhand volley winner on the first point of the match. A few errors from both took the score to 40-30, before the Korean hit a drop shot off a short return to lead 1-0. The Croat held serve fairly comfortably himself to get on the scoreboard. Down 0-30 on his serve in the next game, the 8th seed constructed the point well and ended it with a forehand winner. However, Cilic played some solid tennis to see two break points, and converted it on his first after Kwon hit a backhand unforced error.
The 3rd seed continued playing aggressively and moved the ball to dictate the points before consolidating the break for a 3-1 lead. Riding on the momentum, the 32 year old whipped a forehand crosscourt return winner the next game to give himself 3 break points. A forehand unforced error into the net from Kwon, after saving 2 break points, enabled his opponent to race to a 4-1 lead. The big serving Croat slammed down 2 aces and 2 winners to move one game away from taking the first set. The Korean seemed to be finding his rhythm the next game. He played a beautiful 1-2 punch point, and showcased his speed to cover the court in the next, before holding to love. Serving for the set at 5-2, Cilic wasted no time. He served 2 aces and 2 unreturned serves to close out the set 6-2 in 30 minutes. The 3rd seed showed his dominance as he served 6 aces, won 92% of points behind his first serve and converted 2/4 break points.
Kwon seemed to have put the opening set behind him as he sprinted to a 1-0 lead in the second set, after winning his serve to love. The 8th seed changed his tactics to staying in the rally with deep shots, and letting Cilic make the error, as he won his 5th straight point. However, the Croat made use of the short returns off his big serves and moved his opponent around to force errors and get the hold for 1-1. Despite a hold of serve each in the next 2 games, the 23 year old Asian star had to work hard and mix in some drop shots, while Cilic got free points off his serve.
Kwon's tactic of staying in the rally and throwing in drop shots started working as he held to love again to edge ahead 3-2. But a jumping backhand from the 8th seed forced an error from Cilic and he was put under pressure on serve at 30-30. The 3rd seed unfortunately succumbed with 2 backhand unforced errors to give Kwon the break. Fired up, the he raced to a 40-0 lead on his serve. And despite a comeback attempt from his opponent, the 8th seed ran around his backhand to hit a winner at 40-30 to lead 5-2.
With the momentum on his side, Kwon hit a running backhand lob over the tall Croat for 0-30, 2 points away from taking the second set. Cilic looked to be struggling with his backhand, as he hit yet another one into the net to give Kwon the second set 6-2.
The 3rd seed gathered himself before the decider, and played a beautiful point to get a break point in the first game. A failed 1-2 punch into the net from Kwon, after saving the first break point, gifted Cilic another break point. Holding his nerves well, the Korean saved the second break point before firing 2 big serves to hold. After holding to love, Cilic hit deep groundstrokes into both corners of the court before finishing the point with a drop volley on his opponent’s serve. The Croat pumped his fist and looked across the net at his opponent before finding 2 break points. Kwon saved both swiftly with 2 drop shots and held to lead 2-1.
The drop shots were effective as another one in the next game, put pressure on the Cilic serve. The Croat then missed a backhand to give Kwon a break point. Drawing from his experience in playing big points, Cilic used his serve to get out of trouble and tie the score at 2-2. Both players then held to love for 3-3. The turning point came at 3-3 (40-40) when the ex-US Open champion fought hard to find a break point and converted it, with some big groundstrokes and an unforced error from Kwon.
The South Korean moved his opponent around the court, before hitting a short crosscourt that threw the 3rd seed off guard for a break back point. Cilic played a shaky game as a shanked forehand handed the break back to Kwon. The 8th seed held for 5-4 and put his opponent to the task of serving to stay in the match. A long backhand from Cilic brought up a first match point for Kwon. Saving it with an ace, the Croat hit another big serve and went on to hold for 5-5.
Kwon faced a break point in the next game, but an ace got him out of trouble as well. Aggressive groundstrokes from Cilic gave him another break, but he could not convert. Then, an untimely double fault followed by a spectacular backhand return winner gave the Croat the break for 6-5. The 3rd seed pumped himself up by shouting “Alleh!” after a crucial game. With his forehand finding the line and an unforced error from Kwon, Cilic finds his first match point. The Croat fires a big serve that was unreturned to seal the match 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 in 2 hours.
Cilic hit 18 aces, won 80% of points behind his first serve and converted 4/12 break points, compared to his opponent with 3/6. He will face the young Aussie star, Alexei Popyrin, for a place in the grand finals.
(Edited by Raj Kumar)
Dillon Lim is in his final year of university. He enjoys playing tennis and has been in love with the game since he was a kid. The 23 year old used to play competitively for Raffles Institution and was in the junior national training squad before leaving to study in the UK. And he still plays for his current university. Off the court, Dillon enjoys watching tennis matches and always keeps up with the very latest tournaments.
For live streams, schedules and more stories from the Singapore Tennis Open 2021, visit hub.tennis
For the latest Singapore Tennis Open updates on the go, follow us on Telegram
Related Articles
Related Topics
Related Events & Programmes
Related Articles
Related Topics
Related Articles
View AllRelated Topics
[BlogPost 162233592997 Gritty Lions Suffer Loss to China, BlogPost 162089384371 On Your Mark, Get Ready, Go Running, BlogPost 161670652697 Lions' Excellent Showing Against China, BlogPost 161435270031 Ogura Optimistic for Exciting Clash against China, BlogPost 161127614758 The Future of Basketball in Singapore: Why 3x3 is Here to Stay, BlogPost 161033673012 The Active Lifestyler's Guide to the New ActiveSG Delta Sport Centre, BlogPost 161128356680 Grand New Champions Crowned at WTT Singapore Smash 2024, BlogPost 160844835218 NSG 2024 Table Tennis: C Div Boys Pool Round, BlogPost 160210745115 NSG 2024 Basketball: Senior Div Girls Tampines Primary School vs Frontier Primary School, BlogPost 159881180544 Whirlwind Return to Women's Football, BlogPost 159633541417 Singapore Smash to Elevate a New Legacy, BlogPost 158983580420 NSG 2024 Rugby: B Div Damai Secondary School vs Peirce Secondary School, BlogPost 159003960202 SFA Fiesta: Kicking off 2024 to a Roaring Start, BlogPost 158830735126 NSG 2024 Football: B Div Girls Preliminary Round Meridian Secondary School VS Bowen Secondary School, BlogPost 158536989718 Team Nila Volunteers Recognized At Awards Ceremony, BlogPost 158270107806 NSG 2024 Hockey: B Div Boys Preliminary Round Raffles Institution VS St. Hilda Secondary School, BlogPost 157966862615 NSG 2024 Floorball: B Division Preliminary Rounds Kick Off!, BlogPost 157562433712 What Is Safe Sport?, BlogPost 157559446197 Sengkang Secondary: Cultivating Well-Rounded Footballers, BlogPost 157368261167 New National Training Centre for Cricket at West Coast Ground, BlogPost 155340164987 Active Ageing with Joey Bonifacio, BlogPost 155930815517 Inaugural Singapore Youth League kicks off from 24th February 2024, BlogPost 155340164727 Bukit Canberra : the Coolest Spot in the North, BlogPost 155368905255 How Padang Fandi Inspired Ayden to Chase his Dream, BlogPost 154755572826 Ageing Backwards with Elizabeth Cheang, BlogPost 154094657315 Running For Fitness, BlogPost 153318636178 Excitement Builds for FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup 2024, BlogPost 153198644247 World's Top Four Confirmed for 2024 HSBC Women's World Championship, BlogPost 149413941770 Cultivating Your Kids’ Interest in the Outdoors, BlogPost 149413941163 Making Sport More Appealing for Our Kids, BlogPost 149412549409 Solo Or Team Sport – Choosing the Best for Your Child, BlogPost 151197478798 Former Lions Stalwart Baihakki Khaizan Sheds Light on New Accreditation to Elevate Grassroots Football and Youth Development, BlogPost 80703591291 New Year, Fitter You! Here are the top 3 workouts for the New Year, BlogPost 81171151456 7 Reasons Why Sports are Great for Children’s Mental Health, BlogPost 80542065330 17 Best Yoga Classes & Studios in Singapore [+ Rating & Prices], BlogPost 149404351798 From Brush to Lens: A Student's Journey in the World of Art and Sports Photography, BlogPost 149402825063 The Benefits of Active Parenting, BlogPost 149397832009 Sweden Claim 9th Straight Gold at the Women's World Floorball Championship, BlogPost 149397831449 Lion City Sailors Win 2023 Singapore Cup, BlogPost 148511324266 Pitch Perfect with Jonathan Teo, BlogPost 148511724402 Seniors: Increase your flexibility bit by bit with these stretches, BlogPost 147866574167 A Valuable Experience In Spain for Singapore's National Development Centre U-14 Boys, BlogPost 146915317264 How one magical Kallang night changed the lives of Abirami and Daania forever, BlogPost 80700409988 Strength Training for Seniors, BlogPost 137536455174 Age Gracefully, Start Strength Training, BlogPost 145856643584 FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 Qualifiers: Singapore vs Korea Republic, BlogPost 144608971564 ActiveSG Football Academy sets up centralised development centres to broaden base for young players, BlogPost 144605361831 Hafiz Osman & sons' love affair with the beautiful game, BlogPost 137536455236 The Golden Years, BlogPost 142676085686 Singapore crowned Mirxes Nations Cup 2023 Champions!]