'Incredible guy' - Marin Cilic praises Andrey Rublev's 'great sportsmanship' after French Open quarter-final win

Marin Cilic says he is “unbelievably proud” to be through to his first French Open semi-final and has credited Andrey Rublev for showing “great sportsmanship” during the match. The 33-year-old Croatian needed four hours and 10 minutes to overcome the Russian and will play either Holger Rune or Casper Ruud in the next round. Cilic has reached the quarter-final stage of Roland-Garros in 2017 and 2018 but has broken new ground by reaching the final four.

Ad/> Cilic was dismayed to have a shot called out by the umpire in the fifth-set decider, only for his opponent to suddenly decide to concede the point to him. /> Roland-Garros'Wow!' — Rune blasts stunning smash after enthralling rally with Ruud3 HOURS AGO The 2014 US Open champion has praised Rublev for his generosity at a vital moment in the match. “I’m unbelievably proud,” Cilic told Eurosport's Barbara Schett and Tim Henman in The Cube.

“Today was a tough day in the office and playing against Andrey is really a tough thing to do. Today was slightly different conditions to two days ago. “It was a little bit harder in that the ball was not bouncing as much.

Then it was not easy to open up the court and use the top spin. Luckily today I was serving fantastically well. 'Nicely done!' — amazing act of sportsmanship leads Cilic to applaud Rublev Cilic fights past Rublev in five to reach first French Open semi-final “I kept my focus today.

It was not easy after losing that fourth set. He was really close to breaking a couple of games but I just kept my head down and put it in. “I had some flashes in the last several years.

A few years when I was playing incredibly well, aged 17 and 18, was incredible. I connect three, four sets but never this much in a tournament. “I’m just