The second-set tiebreaker featured the longest singles main draw tiebreaker at Queen’s Club since Goran Ivanisevic beat Greg Rusedski 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (18) in the 1997 semifinals, and Muller is the first player to win an ATP Tour match after saving 10 match points since Rainer Schuettler beat Andreas Seppi in Kitzbuehel in 2004. “I know when he has time, how well he can hit the ball, so, you know, I expected that”.
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He said: “I’m pleased with the way I played today”. “I was a serve up, and 40 love”.
Murray had waited 10 years to face a British opponent until he beat Aljaz Bedene in the second round on Thursday and just 24 hours later the top seed was taking on another compatriot in the promising Edmund.
As Cilic’s strength against the serve began to wane, Murray finished the first set with aplomb.
Although Cilic did do his utmost to cling on in the match, saving two match points on his own serve, Murray eventually had too much, seeing the match out with a trio of aces.
“He’s doing great, he’s improving every year and he’s got a really good team behind him”.
The British number three admits he has looked up to Murray for many years and he is hoping to do himself proud during the contest.
He lost only two points on his serve in the final set, hitting an impressive 80% of first serves into the box, which proved too much for Cilic, whose own unsafe serve dropped to a vulnerable 44%.
Murray said it was hard to judge how good Edmund can be but said he would not underestimate his ability. I tried to up my intensity at the beginning of the third set and it worked’. Murray won 6-2 5-7 7-6 (7/4).
Edmund, aged 21, is often at his best on clay, but the world No 85 – who should climb into the top 70 for the first time next week – showed that he also has the potential to perform well on grass.
“If he’s given time and a little bit of space to keep developing, then he can go very far”. “It’s very fortunate for me that he’s allowed me to come into his environment, stay with him [in Miami]. He always makes it tough when it really matters”.
The defending champion will now meet Milos Raonic in the final, after the Canadian emphatically dismissed Bernard Tomic in straight sets 6-4, 6-4.
Milos Raonic later secured a hard-fought 7-5, 7-6 (6) victory over Jiri Vesely to continue his impressive form under new coach John McEnroe, winning 84 percent of his first serve points.
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Cilic took nearly two hours to get past Steve Johnson, who stunned Richard Gasquet in the opening round, and Cilic admitted that he had trouble getting on the end of the American’s serve.
