Liguori: Marin Cilic Dominates To Win First Grand Slam Title
By Ann Liguori
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Marin Cilic won his very first Grand Slam title. The towering 25- year-old from Croatia dominated Kay Nishikori in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3.
The 14th seed Cilic over-whelmed Nishikori with his power, smacking 17 aces and twice as many winners. (38 winners to Nishikori's 19).
Nishikori, known for his steadiness and stamina, extended some of the rallies but could not come up with an answer for Cilic's power. The 6'6" Cilic impressed with both explosiveness and precision.
Cilic has been coached by Goren Ivanisevic since last year when Cilic returned from serving a 4-month suspension for testing positive in a drug test that revealed he had too much glucose in his blood.
Ivanisevic is the only other man from Croatia to win a Grand Slam title when he won Wimbledon in 2001. Since Ivanisevic has been working with him, Cilic has learned to be much more precise with his tremendous power.
After the match, Cilic said that Ivanisevic has "brought big knowledge to me" and helped give him the belief that he can play aggressively over a 5-set match. "He's also helped me find joy in my practice sessions and helps make me more relaxed, bringing the best out of me."
"I feel for all the other players that are working hard, this is a big sign that if you are working hard, things can pay off," he said.
"It's been an amazing two weeks for me and I think I've never played like this ever!" he added.
Cilic became the first No. 14 seed to win a Major title in the Open Era. On his way to the final, he beat 7th ranked Tomas Berdych and surprised 2nd seed and 5-time U.S. Open champ Roger Federer in straight sets. It was his first win over Federer in six meetings.
The final featured two major surprise guests, both hungry to win their very first Grand Slam title.
It was the first major final played without the game's big four – Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray – since the 2005 Australian Open. But both Cilic and Nishikori should be fixtures in the late rounds of future Majors. The new guard has definitely arrived!
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