Horvat Marin Chilich spoke about the victory over the Spaniard Robert Bautista-Agut in the quarterfinals of the tournament in St. Petersburg.
Cilic won in three sets – 6: 4, 3: 6, 6: 3.
– What is the difference between your last and penultimate matches?
– They were completely different. The second round match was more intense. Karen hits the ball harder, serves more powerfully, plus there was a 1: 4 set in the third set – it was not easy for me to get back into the game. Roberto plays very differently. He doesn't hit the ball so hard, but at the same time he is very stable, almost makes no mistakes, plus I had a problem finding my own rhythm in the match with him.
– Do you have enough energy for the semifinals after two such intense three-set matches?
– On the one hand, yes, I'm tired, after all, I played eight matches almost in a row, if you count the two tournaments going one after the other. But I still have strength, I will rest, get a good sleep and, I think, will be in perfect order by the semifinals.
– What do you expect from the semifinals? What can you say about potential rivals?
– I just managed to watch several games of the match between Botik van de Sandshulp and Andrei Rublev – a good match. Botik is the new guy on the tour. He had a great US Open, losing there to Daniil Medvedev in a very difficult match. He shows great tennis, serves well, moves well, he will definitely grow into a big player, he is already now. We all know Andrei well, it is difficult to say something new about him. Ahead of the semi-final, I can only show good tennis, – said Cilic.
In the semifinals, Cilic will play against Van de Sandshulp, who beat Rublev in two sets.
- Rublev failed to reach the semifinals of the tournament in St. Petersburg