Marin Cilic jumped out to a commanding start over No. 19 Jo-Wildried Tsonga on a sticky, still afternoon in Arthur Ashe Stadium. The defending champion, Cilic was seeking a return to the semifinal. Tsonga sought his first semi-final appearance here.
Cilic earned a break in the first set – the first break Tsonga has allowed all tournament – and two in the second to take a two-set advantage. He held off four break point opportunities in each set. But Tsonga fought back to take the third, then held off double-break/match point at 4-5 in the fourth to stay alive.
The crowd was pulling for Tsonga, a constant fan-favorite in Flushing Meadows. The 30-year-old Frenchman seemed to feed off the energy, the change-over chants edging him on. The last time he appeared in a quarterfinal, he pulled off a five-set comeback over Mardy Fish. They were looking for the same effort on Tuesday.
Cilic double-faulted at 2-2 in the fourth-set tiebreak, then Tsonga served three straight points. At 5-3, Tsonga charged the net with ease, practically bouncing on his toes. He looked loose, even as the match passed the three-hour mark. He served the final point to force a deciding fifth.
Tsonga earned his first break to even the fifth set at 2-all, only to give one right back. Cilic held serve to push his lead to 4-2. That overpowering serve has carried Cilic throughout the fortnight. Coming into the match, he’d only been broken eight times in 78 games, holding off 14 of 22 break-point opportunities.
With Tsonga serving at 2-4, Cilic hit a forehand winner that brought the game to deuce. He pumped his fist, then pumped it again as he scrunched his entire face, looked to the upper decks and screamed, “Come on.”
More than a few fans responded to the display with cheers for Tsonga. The Frenchman soon closed out the service game. Cilic held, Tsonga held, to 4-5. To stay in the match, he’d have to break Cilic’s serve.
Tsonga ran down every possible shot as fans again broke into “Let’s go Tsonga, let’s go.” The treatment was similar to what Novak Djokovic used to face. Cilic is learning that winning a title in New York is not enough to win over the crowd. That takes years.
Cilic served a 135mph ace to force match point, but a double fault brought it to deuce. A backhand went long, and suddenly he faced break point. But there, the comeback fell short. Cilic won the next three points to finish it off.
“Big mental fight, especially after losing that fourth set,” Cilic said in his on-court interview after the match. “Jo just came up with amazing shots. The match got very physical towards the end. The conditions today were very tough, it was very hot.”
Cilic is seeking to be the first repeat champion in New York since Roger Federer's five-title streak ended in 2008.
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