Sports Bulletin

Abdullah Asjad ISLAMABAD (December 4, 2021):-As many as 35 matches were decided on the day 1st of the ITC Tennis League, which started here at Islamabad Tennis Complex (ITC) on Saturday. The players from Wah Cantt and Taxila are also participating in the Tennis League. Results: BOYS & GIRLS U-10 (Round Robin Matches) Amir Masood bt Ayesha Masood 5-3; Behroze Maimoon Bt Wishal Arshad 4-1; Ayesha Masood Bt Wishal Arshad 4-0; Zahra Khan Bt Arshman Maqsood 4-2; Amir Masood Bt Arshman Maqsood 4-2; Zahra Khan Bt Wishal arshad  4-0; Behroze Maimoon Bt Ayesha Masood 5-4(6); BOYS & GIRS U-12 (Round Robin Matches) Lalarukh Sajid  Bt Uzair Maqsood 5-1; BOYS & GIRLS U-14 (Round Robin Matches) Sameer Maqsood  Bt Ammar Masood 6-4; Hassan Usmani Bt  Sameer Maqsood 5-1; Hassan Usmani Bt LalaRukh Sajid 5-0; Ammar Masood Bt Lalarukh sajid 5-0; BOYS & GIRLS U-16 (Round Robin Matches) Sameer Kiyani Bt Hassan Usmani 5-1; Hamza Hussain Bt Abdul Wasay 5-0; Salaar Bt Hamza Hussain 5-0; Hassan Usmani bt Hamza Hussain 5-2; BOYS & GIRLS OVER 16 (Round Robin Matches) Abdullah Bt Azeena Aleem 5-2; Yawar Ali Bt Sahar Aleem 5-3; Hamza Ul Zuhair Bt Haseeb Raja 5-3; Umer Masood Bt Sameer Kiyani 5-4(3); Salaar Bt Haziq Aasim 5-1; Umer Masood Bt Hamza Ul Zuhair 5-3; Abdullah Bt Haseeb raja 5-0; Abdullah Bt Sahar Aleem 5-2; Umer Masood Bt Haseeb Raja 5-2; Yawar Ali Bt Azeena Aleem 5-0; Salaar Bt Sahar Aleem 5-0; Sameer Kiyani Bt Azeena Aleem 5-2; Yawar Ali Bt Haseeb Raja 5-0; Haziq Aasim Bt Hamza Ul Zuhair 5-2; Salaar Bt Sameer Kiyani 5-2; Abdullah Bt Ahmed Murad 5-0; Umer Masood Bt Ahmed Murad 5-2; Haziq Aasim Bt Sameer Kiyani 5-3;  Salaar Bt Hamza Ul Zuhair 5-0; Umer Masood Bt Salaar 5-2.

Islamabad (Sports Desk):-The semi-final between Serbia and Croatia will be the latest instalment of an old rivalry, even if the players are all friends. It will also pit the world No.1 singles player against the world No.1 doubles team. Whenever Croatia faces Serbia, it’s about more than just tennis. “There is a big rivalry obviously being neighbouring countries, and there is always an extra pressure, an extra motivation, extra expectations I think for both nations to really win against each other”, says Novak Djokovic. “It’s not just semi-finals, it’s Croatia against Serbia, which has extra meaning for us.” Friday’s last-four clash in Madrid will be just the third time Croatia and Serbia have faced off in Davis Cup since they became independent nations following the break-up of Yugoslavia. Both of the previous meetings have gone Serbia’s way. The first came in Split in 2010 when Serbia won 4-1 in the quarter-finals en route to winning the competition. Then, like now, Djokovic was Serbia’s leading man, winning both of his singles matches against Ivan Ljubicic and Marin Cilic in straight sets. “I remember it really well and I even have a few photos from that tie”, Cilic recalls. “I couldn’t believe how young we were. It was incredible to play in Croatia, really loud fans, special atmosphere. In the end Novak played incredible over the weekend. With that victory of them in the Davis Cup, Novak got an incredible boost for the 2011 season. So Davis Cup again showed a lot of great emotions and positivity. Those experiences are incredible for everyone’s career.” “It’s not just semi-finals, it’s Croatia against Serbia, which has extra meaning for us" (Novak Djokovic) In 2015, Serbia beat Croatia again, although this time it was a 5-0 thrashing in Kraljevo. Viktor Troicki, who won both of his singles matches in that whitewash six years ago, now hopes to inspire Serbia as captain. “It's a completely new role for me. First year as a Davis Cup captain, being on the team for so many years as a player, I have experienced everything, but this is a whole different level, being in the court and supporting the players. Nice memories against them [Croatia]. Of course we are going to go for a win. Hopefully the streak will continue.” While the national rivalry is impossible to ignore, it’s not something that leads to friction between the players. If anything, the opposite is true, with the country’s ties bringing them all closer. “We get along extremely well”, Cilic says about the two teams. “During the season we’re practising all the time, hanging out together. With Novak I’ve been great friends since childhood. Krajinovic has been working with my fitness coach for a while. Borna [Gojo] was practising in Belgrade. So there is great connection with their team.” Djokovic believes the tie, while competitive, will be an opportunity to showcase the camaraderie between the sides. “I think regardless of what happens on the court, what is really nice in the sense of [a] really positive message out there is the respect and the friendship with these guys that we have on and off the court. These are great guys.” Speaking after midnight following Serbia's comeback against Kazakhstan, Djokovic added: “It’s been a long day. When you're not on the court, you're also emotionally involved in every match. You're cheering, you're supporting. It's very different from any individual tournament. So it's always great to have a day rest where you can recalibrate, recuperate all the necessary energy for not just your match but other matches, as well, and giving support, being there for your teammates.” “Borna and Nino back in Italy played amazing”, says Cilic. “They played above their usual match level and we hope those experiences are going to boost them for a great 2022 season. We know they can play a high level and they really fed off the team atmosphere and the captain and played amazing tennis.” Whatever happens, with Serbia looking to reach its third Davis Cup final and Croatia its fourth, both nations continue to punch above their weight in tennis, and Cilic is well aware that this is a tremendous opportunity. “Considering we are coming from such small countries and making such a great impact in tennis, it’s incredible. It’s so great for our nations to be in this position. Whoever wins is going to be in the final of Davis Cup and that’s an incredible achievement for both countries.”

Karachi (Sports Report):-The 10th Essa Lab National Seniors and Juniors Tennis Championship will start from Saturday (December 3, 2021) at the hard courts of Modern Club Karachi. According to an official of Sindh Tennis Association (STA), Dr. Essa Laboratory & Diagnostic Center is the sponsor of this prestigious annual national fixture of the Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) circuit tournament. Karachi Tennis Association is organizing the event under the auspices of PTF/ STA. Mohammad Khalid Rehmani will be the tournament referee while Sarwar Hussain will act as Tournament Director. The organizers have received 150 entries in various events. Asad Zaman of Lahore is top seed in both Under 16 and Under 14 Singles, Zohaib Afzal Malik of Lahore is top seed in Under 12 Singles. Natalia Zaman top seed in Girls Under-18 Singles, Farhan Altaf in Men’s Singles and Rashid Ali of Hyderabad in Under 10 Singles.

Islamabad (Sports Desk):-Germany will board a plane to Madrid after Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz once again showcased their doubles prowess to fire their nation to the Davis Cup semi-finals following a tension-filled showdown with Great Britain. As they had done in both of their previous ties in Innsbruck, two-time Grand Slam doubles champion Krawietz and his partner Puetz rose to the occasion magnificently during a jaw-dropping clash, this time dispatching Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski 7-6(10), 7-6(5). Germany was earlier teetering on the brink of elimination from the Finals after Great Britain surged into a commanding 1-0 lead following the 62, 61 thrashing of Peter Gojowczyk by a rampant Dan Evans. However, big-hitting Jan-Lennard Struff hauled his nation level with a gritty 76(6), 36, 62 win against in-form world No. 12 Cameron Norrie, although this was only a prelude to what was to come. In a high-octane and fabulously entertaining encounter, Krawietz and Puetz saved four set points during a fluctuating first set tiebreak before hauling themselves over the line by converting a fourth set point of their own. Playing just their sixth match together, three of which have come at these Finals, the intrepid duo then won a second tiebreak to confirm victory, this time recovering from 5-0 down to win 7-5. Victory ensured Germany ended their six-tie losing streak in Davis Cup quarter-finals and reached the semi-finals for the first time since 2007. They now advance to the Spanish capital where they will face the winners of the last-eight clash between the Russian Tennis Federation (RTF) and Sweden on Saturday. “I think you could see that after the match point a lot of pressure fell off,” said Germany captain Michael Kohlmann, who was a calm presence throughout the nerve-racking encounter. “I am super happy. I mean, last time we reached the semi-finals was 2007, and that year I played. “This team is much better than it was at that time, so I think they deserved it. I am extremely happy and extremely proud.” “Honestly, I don’t know how we pulled that back from 0-5,” said Krawietz. “It’s tough, of course, to start the second tiebreak with 0-5, but we just said, ‘point by point’ then maybe we have a chance in this tiebreak. “Then we served twice and we were 2-5. We said, ‘okay, let’s try to make one point out of two. Then we turned it around. It’s a crazy game at times.” Great Britain, meanwhile, who were crowned Davis Cup champions in 2015, were bidding to reach the fourth semi-final of Leon Smith’s captaincy reign and equal, at the very least, their performance at the 2019 Finals in Madrid. The disappointment within their camp was palpable. The possibility of a Germany victory was made possible, in the first instance, by world No. 51 Struff and his defeat of Norrie, which ensured an already absorbing and enthralling tie went the distance. Following an early break of serve, Struff surged into a 3-0 lead in the opening set before Norrie instigated a comeback, winning three successive games to level before a swift exchange of service breaks forced a tiebreak. Left-hander Norrie engineered his way into a 6-4 tiebreak lead but failed to convert his two set points – something that would become a theme of the tie – allowing Struff to work his way back into contention and take the opening set. Norrie, however, has been in blistering form this season and last month became the first Briton to top the podium at Indian Wells, so was always likely to strike back. He duly did midway through the second set, breaking the Struff serve to go 4-2 up from where he successfully negotiated the remainder of proceedings. The third set followed a similar template only for the roles to be reversed. Struff flexed his muscles to break Norrie and power into a 4-2 lead, with the 31-year-old refusing to relinquish his grip, sending the tie to a deciding doubles.

Lahore (Sports Report):-International tennis star Sania Mirza visited state of the art tennis courts at Nishtar Park Sports Complex (NPSC) on Tuesday. Sania Mirza played practice tennis matches for one and half hours with Pakistan’s international tennis stars Aisamul Haq and Aqeel Khan at a nicely-built tennis stadium. Deputy Director Chand Perveen, SBP PRO Abdul Rauf Roofi, Tennis Stadium administrator Rehmat Ullah and other officials were also present on this occasion. Talking to Deputy Director Chand Perveen and SBP PRO Abdul RaufRoofi, international tennis star Sania Mirza appreciated the top standard facilities provided at Sports Board Punjab’s State of the Art Tennis Stadium. “SBP Stadium is equipped with all modern facilities and it will help a lot in producing several top class tennis players in future,” she added. SaniaMirza said: Pakistan has plenty of tennis talent and SBP’s tennis stadium and academy are playing key roles in further nurturing the emerging male and female tennis players.   

Madrid, Spain (SB Report):-Aslan Karatsev and Andrey Rublev spoiled Spain’s party as they came back from a set down to defeat Marcel Granollers and Feliciano Lopez 46, 62, 64 in front of a capacity crowd at the Madrid Arena on Sunday night The victory puts Russian Tennis Federation top of Group A and secures a last eight clash against Sweden on Thursday for Shamil Tarpischev’s team. Spain, meanwhile, has been eliminated and attention will turn to qualifying for the 2022 edition. As the clock struck 00:40 in the Spanish capital, Karatsev steered a backhand winner down the line much to the delight of his partner, Rublev, who stretched out his arms to hug his teammate. “We are really happy to be in the quarters,” Rublev said after the match. “We are going to do our best to go further. Two years ago we were in the semi-finals so we’ll see if we can do this result but, for sure, every player from us is giving 100 per cent so that’s the most important thing.” Karatsev added: “Thank you to everyone who came to support. It was a good atmosphere.” There was little to separate the two teams in the opening set. Spain notched the only break when Lopez drilled a huge forehand return deep into the tramlines. And it was that man Lopez again who served out the set when Rublev blasted a return long. The Russian team broke their opponents twice in the second set, which meant they served first going into the decider. Karatsev, in particular, applied pressure on his opponent’s serve with some pinpoint accuracy on the return and, despite the crowd trying to help the home side in the latter stages of the final set, the Russians upped their intensity and broke to claim the win. In the opening match of the tie, Lopez bounced back from a slow start to stun Rublev 26, 63, 64. The Spaniard made a mockery of both his ranking and his age as he put on a vintage display of attacking tennis to hand Spain an unlikely advantage against one of the hot favourites for the Davis Cup by Rakuten Finals title. Separated in ranking by 101 points and in age by 16 years, Lopez played a stereotypical game of two halves. In the opening set, the Spaniard hit just 42% of his first serves, but some inspirational net play and his powerful lefty serve proved to be the difference in sets two and three. “This is over any expectation to be honest,” said Lopez. “For me it was already amazing to be here representing my country at 40 years old. I didn’t expect to be the one playing the singles and I had to take that role. Honestly, today, playing against Andrey, No.5 in the world, at this stage of my career in my home town, this is over any expectations!” Broken in the very first game of the match and again after a pair of double faults at 1-4, it looked as though Lopez wasn’t going to trouble the world No.5 but how wrong that proved to be.  The 40-year-old began to find his groove in the second set. It was a sensational point at 15-15 with Rublev serving at 2-3 that seemed to galvanize the Spaniard. Lopez bided his time to approach the net and put away a beautiful crosscourt volley. He went on to break the Russian and then proceeded to come through a long seventh game, with four deuces, to hold for a 5-2 lead. Honestly, today, playing against Andrey, No.5 in the world, at this stage of my career in my home town, this is over any expectations A huge ace out wide to clinch the second set was enough to raise the roof in the Madrid Arena and suddenly, out of nowhere, the pressure was back on the 24-year-old Russian. And it was Lopez who seized the early initiative in the final set after a loose third game by Rublev saw the Spaniard break for a 2-1 lead. With the crowd behind him, Lopez never looked back. He served with clinical precision to put himself within a game of the finish line. When two match points came and went on the Rublev serve and when he was forced to save a break point on his own serve, it looked like there might be one more twist in the tale of this match. But Lopez had other ideas. He fired down an unreturnable serve out wide before soaking up the applause from a jubilant home crowd. Rublev was honest in his appraisal of the match, giving the credit to his opponent. “Basically, the way Feli was playing in the first set is something, like, normal,” he explained. “And then the way he started to play in the second and third set, it's something that happens to him not really often. “Every time he's playing here in Madrid, he's giving his best. He's super focused. He's controlling his emotions. He's giving his best every point. That's what he was doing today, and he was playing amazing. He deserved to win.” Daniil Medvedev then kept his team in contention for the win when he overcame Pablo Carreno 62, 76(3) in just under an hour-and-a-half. The world No.2 showed why he has become one of the dominant forces in men’s tennis with some scintillating shot-making, but the victory wasn’t without its challenges. Medvedev needed just 26 minutes to take the opening set and in so doing ensured that the buoyant home crowd that had been so vocal earlier in the tie, had nothing to cheer about. Carreno started to play more aggressive tennis at the start of the second set and was rewarded for his efforts with a break and a 3-0 led. But Medvedev came roaring back, reeling off five games in a row as he showed an effortless ability to take his tennis to the next level. Carreno refused to go down without a fight and, feeding off the crowd, he broke back after a series of gruelling rallies to force a tiebreak. Once again, Medvedev produced some incredible shots as he raced to a 5-0 lead in the breaker before sealing the win with an ace out wide.  “Everybody is super happy,” he said. “Because that's how we all are in the team, all five players. I think, if I'm not mistaken, we needed to win just one game to be through. Yet we won a match, and that's all you need to know about us. “We want to win, no matter if it's an exhibition match, a match that doesn't count maybe for the tie, or an important match. Our goal is to win. I think it's very important for the confidence of the team to win against such team as Spain. Even if they didn't have their best line-up, they are playing at home, and to beat them means a lot.”

Islamabad (Sports Report):-On the final day of the ITC Tennis League, as many as 30 matches were played and determined their position of the different categories competitions. The prize distribution ceremony of the ITC Tennis League will be organized at the Benazir Bhutto Shaheed National Tennis Championships starting from 13th December 2021. Results (Finals): Boys & Girls Over-16 (Round Robin) Yawar Ali Bt Abdullah 5-0; Abdul Wasay Bt AmmarMasood 5-3; Yawar Ali Bt Yameen Mughal 5-3; Abdullah Bt Hamza UlZuhair 5-0; Umer Masood Bt AzeenaAleem 5-2; Yameen Mughal Bt SaharAleem 5-2; Azeena Aleem Bt Hamza Ul Zuhair 5-2; Yawar Ali Bt Hamza Ul Zuhair 5-0; Haziq Aasim Bt Abdullah 5-2; Abdullah Bt Sameer Kiyani 6-4; Sameer Kiyani Bt Abdul Wasay 5-1; Umer Masood Bt Yameen Mughal 6-4; Yawar Ali Bt Sahar Aleem 5-3; Ammar Masood Bt Hamza Ul Zuhair 5-2; Umer Masood Bt Abdul Wasay 5-2; Yawar Ali Bt Abdul Wasay 5-0; Ammar Masood Bt Azeena Aleem 5-0; Haziq Aasim Bt Ammar Masood 5-2; Haziq Aasim Bt Yameen Mughal 5-2; Umer Masood Bt Hamza UL Zuhair 5-1; Yawar Ali Bt Ammar Masood 5-0; Umer Masood Bt Haziq Aasim 5-3; Positions 1. Yawar 2. UmerMasood 3. Abdullah U-14 BOYS (Round Robin) Abdul WasayBtAmmarMasood 5-3; Positions 1. Hassan Usmani 2. Abdul wasay 3. AmmarMasood Under-10 Boys & Girls (Round Robin) Ayesha Masood Bt AmnaMaqsood 4-1; Amir Masood Bt Fatima Maqsood 4-0; Ayesha Masood Bt Fatima Maqsood 4-0; Amir Masood Bt AmnaMaqsood 4-0; Wishal Arshad Bt Fatima Maqsood 4-1; Wishal Bt Amna Maqsood 4-2; Amir Masood Bt Wishal Arshad 4-2; Amir Masood Bt Arshman Maqsood 4-0; Ayesha Masood Bt Amna Maqsood 4-0; Positions 1. Ayesha Masood 2. Aamir Masood 3. ArshmanMaqsood Under-12 Boys & Girls (Round Robin) Hassan Usmani Bt UzairMaqsood 5-0 Positions 1. Hassan Usmani 2. UzairMaqsood    

Abdullah Asjad ISLAMABAD (November 27, 2021):-ITC Tennis League started on Saturday at Islamabad Tennis Complex (ITC) G-6 Islamabad. As many as 35 matches were played on day-1. Players from Wah Cantt and Taxila also participated in the Tennis League. Results: BOYS & GIRLS U-10 (Round Robin Matches) Ayesha Masood Bt Amir Masood 5-3; Fatima Maqsood Bt Amna Maqsood 4-2; Arshman Maqsood Bt Wishal Arshad 4-0; Amir Masood Bt Qasim Ul Khair 4-0; Qsim Ul Khair Bt Arshman Maqsood 4-1;   BOYS & GIRS U-12 (Round Robin Matches) Hassan Usmani Bt Uzair Maqsood 5-0; BOYS & GIRLS U-14 (Round Robin Matches) Hassan Usmani Bt Ammar Masood 5-2; Hassan Usmani Bt Abdul wasay 5-2 BOYS & GIRLS OVER 16 (Round Robin Matches) Abdullah Bt Umer Masood 5-1; Yawar Ali Bt Umer Masood 5-0; Yameen Mughal Bt Abdullah 6-4; Sahar Aleem Bt Azeena Aleem 5-3; Sameer Kiyani Bt Ammar Masood 5-2; Ammar Masood Bt Sahar Aleem 5-3; Haziq Aasim Bt Hamza Ul Zuhair 5-0; Abdullah Bt Azeena Aleem 5-1; Yameen Mughal Bt Ammar Masood 5-0; Yawar Ali Bt Sameer Kiyani 5-2; Yawar Ali Bt Haziq Aasim 5-1; Hamza Aasim Bt Yameen Mughal 5-0; Abdul Wasay Bt Hamza Ul Zuhair 5-1; Sameer Kiyani Bt Umer Masood 5-3; Yawar Ali Bt Hamza Aasim 5-2; Abdullah Bt Sahar Aleem 5-1; Haziq Aasim Bt Sahar Aleem 5-1; Yawar Ali Bt Azeena Aleem 6-4; Abdul Wasay Bt Azeena Aleem 5-3; Umer Masood Bt Ammar Masood 5-2; Haziq Aasim Bt Sameer Kiyani 5-1; Sameer Kiyani Bt Hamza Ul Zuhair 5-1; Abdullah Bt Ammar Masood 5-0; Umer Masood Bt Sahar Aleem 6-4.

Islamabad (Sports Desk):-Pakistan Under-12 players made a mark after beating hosts Kazakhstan 2-0 in a thrilling final of the Team Event of Under-12 ITF Asia Tennis Championship at the capital city of Kazakhstan, Nur-ul-Islama on Friday. Pakistani boys won first Singles and then Doubles that played by Hamza Roman and Abubakar Talha. Doubles match was a close contest as decided on super set. Pakistani pair won the match at 6-4, 6-7 and 12-10. Results: Hamza Roman beat Traigel Rodion 6-2, 7-5 Pshenichny Yaroslav beat Abubakar Talha 6-3, 6-1 Hamza Roman/Abubakar Talha beat Pshenichny/Tagibekov 6-4, 6-7, 12-10

Islamabad (Sports Desk):-Battling singles victories for Marin Cilic and Borna Gojo allowed doubles world No. 1s Mate Pavic and Nikola Mektic to add the exclamation point to a 3-0 victory over Australia as Croatia marked themselves as a force to be reckoned with at the Davis Cup by Rakuten Finals 2021. Cilic (CRO), who missed the 2019 Finals with a knee injury, underscored his status as Croatia’s pre-eminent Davis Cup player with the 42nd Davis Cup match win of his career, a 61, 57, 64 victory over Alex de Minaur (AUS), but it was Gojo (CRO) who secured what could be a crucial Group D match win to open the tie, a hard-earned 76(5), 75 triumph against Alexei Popyrin (AUS). De Minaur then returned with John Peers (AUS) to take on Pavic (CRO) and Mektic (CRO), but the Aussie duo were undone by the season’s outstanding doubles partnership 63, 61, a result that puts Vedran Martic’s side in a commanding position ahead of Sunday’s final Group D showdown with Hungary. There may be 215 spots between Gojo and Popyrin, the world No. 61, but their previous meeting back in January had seen the Australian save match points as he edged the last of three tiebreak sets in Melbourne, so perhaps it was little surprise to see the opening set go with serve for 12 games. It feels amazing. We have unbelievable support here – I want to thank everyone who came here from Croatia Popyrin, the aggressor behind his booming forehand and some savvy drop shots, had seen five break point chances come and go early in the set, and paid a heavy price in the tiebreak as five unforced errors saw Gojo’s guile and consistency rewarded with the opener. The Australian did well to recover his composure after the disappointment of the opener, denying the world No. 276 the chance to grab an early break in the second set, but with Gojo’s backhand beginning to do damage and Popyrin increasingly frustrated by his opponent’s solid game and giving up 27 unforced errors in all, the set looked primed for a fifth tiebreak between the duo. And then, as Popyrin’s first serve deserted him, the Croatian broke through with the one break point he saw in the match to lead 6-5, serving out for just the second top-100 win of his career. “It feels amazing. We have unbelievable support here – I want to thank everyone who came here from Croatia,” said Gojo, whose own thunderous serve was rock-solid throughout the contest. “He was probably a better player in the first set, but I knew if I could stay close I would have a chance eventually, and today it went my way.” Cilic got off to a scintillating start in the second match, launching a seven-game surge from 1-1 in the opener to lead by a set and a break. The high-bouncing conditions at the Pala Alpitour in Turin seem custom-built for a player of his stature, and time and again he had de Minaur, no slouch around the court, chasing shadows for the first half-hour of the contest. But de Minaur defines never-say-die, and with his serve firing in the second set he kept himself tighter to the baseline and ramped up the aggression, a risk-reward strategy that paid dividends as he broke back to level up at 3-3. Riding his luck through some tight service games as Cilic looked to land a second break, it was the Australian who stole the set with Cilic serving to stay in it at 6-5. The momentum was now with de Minaur, who produced arguably the shot of the match to break for 2-0, a flat forehand off his scurrying shoelaces that skidded through the baseline past a stranded Cilic. But the Croatian hit back in the next game to get back on serve and once again wrestled back control of a pulsating encounter. This time Cilic would not be denied, serving out the win in two hours, eight minutes to secure an unassailable 2-0 lead. “First, it’s a great pleasure to be back again on the court to play for our nation, Croatia,” Cilic said. “Australia have such a great spirit on the court, always fighting so strong, and you can see that today from Alex. From that second set I was on a roll, 6-1 3-1, but it seemed really close. He’s such a great fighter, and it’s not the first time that he comes back in a match with this score.”