Isner battles, Cilic breezes into Delray semis

Sixth seed Feliciano Lopez sent packing in straight sets.

DELRAY BEACH:

US second seed John Isner rallied Friday to reach the ATP Delray Beach Open semi-finals, where he will try to deny Marin Cilic his third final in as many weeks.

Big-serving Isner fired 18 aces in outlasting US qualifier Rhyne Williams 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 while Cilic, a seventh seed from Croatia, dispatched Russia’s Teymuraz Gabashvili 6-2, 6-3.

Cilic won his fourth career ATP crown on home soil at Zagreb two weeks ago and last week reached the Rotterdam final, losing to Czech Tomas Berdych.

Hitting 12 aces and converting five of six break points, Cilic advanced in 79 minutes and took the 2014 lead in match wins with 16.

The other semi-final will feature South African fourth seed Kevin Anderson -- who eliminated Australian Marinko Matosevic 6-7 (3/7), 6-3, 6-3 -- against 142nd-ranked US qualifier Steve Johnson, who eliminated Spanish sixth seed Feliciano Lopez 6-3, 6-2.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 23^rd, 2014.

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