French Open: Marin Cilic hails 'fantastic achievement' as he joins 'Big Four' with Slam mark
Marin Cilic said it was a "great achievement" as he joined Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray in becoming only the fifth active player to make the semi-finals at all four Slams. Cilic, the 2014 US Open champion, fired 33 aces past seventh-seeded Andrey Rublev to reach his first French Open semi-final on Wednesday with a 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (10/2) win. He also crashed 88 winners in the four-hour 10-minute tie and will play either eighth-seeded Casper Ruud of Norway or Danish teenager Holger Rune for a place in Sunday's final. "Absolutely fantastic achievement for me. To be mentioned among them," said 33-year-old Cilic. "I'm feeling great on the court, enjoying myself, being me, playing my own game. It's paying off, and I am enjoying the run." Rublev, playing in his fifth quarter-final at the majors, grabbed the first set but wilted under a Cilic barrage over the next two.
Read AlsoMarin Cilic and Casper Ruud reach French Open semi-finals for the first timeCilic fired 33 aces and 88 winners past seventh-seeded Andrey Rublev in a 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (10/2) win. Meanwhile, eighth seed Ruud became the first Norwegian man to reach a Grand Slam semi-final with a 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 (7/2), 6-3 victory over Danish teenager Holger Rune.
The Croatian had stunned world number two Daniil Medvedev in the fourth round and he rediscovered that free-swinging assault to level the contest with a 17th ace on a fifth set point. He pocketed the third with a lone break in the seventh game. Rublev, who had been knocked out of the Australian Open by Cilic in January, battled back with a crucial break in the eighth game of the fourth set. Cilic, the 2017 Wimbledon and 2018 Australian Open runner-up to Federer, had a
