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Djokovic reaches Queens Club Final: Faces Marin Cilic

By Keshav Gopalan

NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 11: Novak Djokovic (L) of Serbia embraces Marin Cilic of Croatia after defeating him during their Men's Singles Semifinals match on Day Twelve of the 2015 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 11, 2015 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. Djokovic defeated Cilic 6-0, 6-1, 6-2. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 11: Novak Djokovic (L) of Serbia embraces Marin Cilic of Croatia after defeating him during their Men's Singles Semifinals match on Day Twelve of the 2015 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 11, 2015 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. Djokovic defeated Cilic 6-0, 6-1, 6-2. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /
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Novak Djokovic has reached the finals of Queens, beating Jeremy Chardy of France 7-6 (7-5), 6-4.

He faces 1st seed Marin Cilic in what is expected to be a fantastic final. Cilic won their last match, played indoors in 2016, at what many consider t be the start of Djokovic’s slump. They meet two years later, as Djokovic looks to be improving and finding his form.

An imperious victory for both

Novak looked fantastic today in his match against Chardy, charting the entire court to get to balls he usually wouldn’t get to and hitting the ball with precision and finesse. Chardy had not been broken in a long time, which proves how good Djokovic has been returning.

While speaking to the press after his victory, Djokovic was asked ‘What is your plan for returning the Marin Cilic serve?’

His reply?

"Two racquets. One in the left hand, one in the right. Hopefully, it’s going to surprise him."

Marin Cilic, on the other hand, overcame a stern test in the name of Nick Kyrgios. The Australian has been in great form this grass season, which showed itself in the scorecard of two tiebreakers.

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Both Kyrgios and Cilic played clutch until the tiebreak, which seemed to be the moment when Kyrgios faltered just a little. This ultimately cost him the match and even a guaranteed Top-16 seeding in Wimbledon.

Speaking to the press after his match, Cilic remarked

"it’s so special to play here. I played great tennis throughout the week and have another shot at the title. Nick is serving so good, so it was tough from both ends. It was tough to get any break points. I was maybe a bit more lucky in those situations and composed."

Prediction

Djokovic in 3. He’s been returning and serving well, not having been broken the entire tournament. Cilic has won only one match in 17 matches, and that’s because Djokovic understands his game very well.

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