Cilic now one of the leading players, in Dubai open
2010-02-26 | 11:13:24 am
Marin Cilic, the sixth-seeded Australian Open semi-finalist, became the latest in a long line of leading players to fall by the wayside at the surprise-laden Dubai Open here on Thursday.
Cilic's 7-6 (10/8), 7-5 quarter-final loss to Jurgen Melzer, the world number 31 from Austria, left only Novak Djokovic of the world's top ten surviving in the $2-million tournament.
Brilliant and clever though Melzer's performance was, the outcome extended the sequence of promotional blows for an event which usually contains all the leading names and has often won ATP World Tour popularity votes.
The defeat of Cilic, one of the two youngest players at the very highest level, followed those of Andy Murray, Nikolay Davydenko, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, and Gilles Simon, and the withdrawal of the unwell Roger Federer on Sunday.
Despite that, after half an hour the 21-year-old Croatian looked the likelier to reach the semi-finals, within one good blow of reaching 5-1 with two points for a double break.
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Source: Agence France Presse