Marin Cilic tasted victory on clay for the first time in five years, fighting past Milos Raonic 7-6(3), 6-3 for the TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Open title. Cilic survived the battle of big hitters after two hours and one minute, firing nine aces. He was strong on serve, saving all seven break points faced and claiming 82 per cent of first serve points. It was the 28-year-old's 17th tour-level title and first since lifting the trophy on the indoor hard courts of Basel last October. His lone previous clay-court victory had come on home soil in Umag in 2012. "I'm on a good track and feeling very well," said Cilic, who did not drop a set en route to the...
Roman Jebavy and Jiri Vesely did not put a wrong foot during Sunday's doubles final at the TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Open. The Czech duo were ruthless in completing a 6-0, 6-0 victory over wild cards Tuna Altuna and Alessandro Motti for their first team title. Jebavy and Vesely needed just 41 minutes to lift the trophy, saving all three break points faced, while converting six of nine of their own. It was the first double bagel in an ATP World Tour final since 2010, when Lukasz Kubot and Oliver Marach did not drop a game in winning the Acapulco title. "We definitely didn't expect to win the final with a score like that," said Vesely. "But we played great,...
The TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Open will play host to an all-Top 10 final clash on Sunday, as World No. 6 Milos Raonic duels with World No. 8 Marin Cilic. Raonic set their third FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting after dismissing Viktor Troicki 6-2, 6-3 in just 66 minutes. The top-seeded Canadian will appear in his first clay-court final, having not dropped serve all week in Istanbul. He is bidding for his ninth ATP World Tour title and first since lifting the trophy to open the 2016 season in Brisbane. "I've come back from many injuries, so I know how to find my level," said Raonic, who is competing in his first tournament since withdrawing from Miami in March with a...
Marin Cilic became the third Croatian in ATP World Tour history to record 400 match wins (or more) on Friday when he booked his spot in the TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Open semi-finals. Cilic joined fellow Croats Goran Ivanisevic (599) and Ivan Ljubicic (429) in passing the milestone after the second seed defeated eighth seed Steve Darcis 6-1, 6-1 in 45 minutes, losing just four of his service points. It was the pair’s first meeting since March 2009 at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. "This was the best match for me this year considering how I moved and took the ball early. This was the way I need to play," said Cilic. "I’m extremely happy with this and...
Follow all the latest off-court action on MyATP! Download the app for iPhone or Android or visit MyATP.com. TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Open – Istanbul, Turkey Marin Cilic, Milos Raonic, Bernard Tomic, Diego Schwartzman, Karen Khachanov, Guillermo Duran and Rogerio Dutra Silva were among those to attend the players’ party. The soiree took place in the Pullman hotel and Tournament Director Paul McNamee welcomed Raonic, Cilic, defending champion Schwartzman and Tomic on stage. Canadian Raonic was a hit at the kids’ clinic. Steve Darcis met his youngest fans for an autograph session. BMW Open by FWU – Munich, Germany Gael Monfils, Fabio Fognini, Roberto Bautista Agut, Alexander Zverev and Boris Becker were among those in attendance at the players’ night. Philipp Kohlschreiber, who was on hand for...
