Cilic Edges Closer To London, Ousts Dimitrov In Paris

Marin Cilic moved one win away from qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals on Thursday, defeating Grigor Dimitrov 7-6(5), 6-4 at the Rolex Paris Masters.

Cilic, who needs to reach the semi-finals in Paris to guarantee his spot at The O2 in London, fired 29 winners to advance after one hour and 49 minutes. The World No. 7 has now reached the quarter-finals in Paris for the third straight year and fourth overall. Cilic reached the semi-finals in 2016, falling to John Isner in straight sets.

Reigning Nitto ATP Finals champion Dimitrov ends his 2018 campaign with a 24-19 tour-level record. The 27-year-old Bulgarian, who reached his 15th tour-level final at the ABN Amro World Tennis Tournament in February (l. to Federer), was aiming to reach the quarter-finals in Paris for the first time.

With victory needed to guarantee a place at the Nitto ATP Finals, Cilic will face Novak Djokovic or Damir Dzumhur in the quarter-finals. Cilic trails Djokovic 2-15 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, but defeated the 31-year-old earlier this year in the Fever-Tree Championships final. The 6'6" right-hander beat Dzumhur in their only previous FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting last year in Istanbul.

Did You Know?
With victory over Philipp Kohlschreiber on Tuesday, Marin Cilic recorded his 40th tour-level victory of the season. The World No. 7 has notched 40 or more tour-level wins in seven of the past 10 years.

from Tennis - ATP World Tour https://ift.tt/2SCw1yw