Australian Open: Marin Cilic defeats Kyle Edmund to reach men's singles final
Tennis | Jan 25, 2018, 05:04 PM ISTCilic face the winner of the second semifinal on Friday between Federer and Hyeon Chung of South Korea.
Cilic face the winner of the second semifinal on Friday between Federer and Hyeon Chung of South Korea.
The 36-year-old Federer also became the oldest man to reach the semifinals at Melbourne Park since Ken Rosewall did it in 1977 at the age of 42.
The 26-year-old American, who entered the season's opening major ranked 97th, missed a match point in the fourth set but held on for a 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-7 (7), 6-3 win over fifth-seed Thiem.
Tomas Berdych, who beat Fabio Fognini in straight sets earlier Monday, will be Federer's quarterfinal opponent.
Federer earned his 17th victory over Gasquet in the 19th encounter between the two players.
Federer, the defending champion, finished off a 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (4) win over Jan-Lennard Struff a half-hour before midnight.
Federer will next face Frenchman Richard Gasquet in the round of 32 on Saturday.
The 19-time major winner can afford to relax slightly longer, given the half of the draw that he shares with Djokovic doesn't start until day two of the Australian Open.
Despite a stellar 2017 season, which saw the 31-year-old claim the US Open and a record 10th French Open title, Nadal played down the significance of beginning the year with the No.1 ranking.
Djokovic is seeded 14th and will be coming off just a couple of exhibition matches to prepare for his first-round encounter against Donald Young at Australian Open.
Let's have a quick look over male tennis icons, who are expected to shine at Melbourne Park
Federer beat Nadal in a five-set final for his 18th Grand Slam title — and his first since 2012 — and later won Wimbledon.
Former world number one Novak Djokovic, who is making a comeback after a six-month layoff due to a tennis elbow injury, is ranked 14 in the first major of the season.
Top-ranked Nadal will start his campaign against Victor Estrella Burgos, has a potential fourth-round match against John Isner, and has No. 3-ranked Grigor Dimitrov in the same half of the draw, which was held on Thursday at Margaret Court Arena.
Switzerland last won the Hopman Cup in 2001 when Federer teamed with Martina Hingis.
Federer was just 19 when he won the Hopman Cup in 2001 with then top-ranked Martina Hingis.
The win came before a record crowd of 13,943 at Perth Arena, an attendance which eclipsed one of Federer's matches last year in the Western Australia state capital.
The injuries threatened to end the careers of two greats towards the end of 2016, a year in which neither the Swiss great nor the Spanish giant won a Grand Slam but they came out stronger in 2017, splitting all four Majors between them.
The two stalwarts - Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal not only made a successful return after the long injury hiatus but also dominated the professional circuit just like the old times, sharing all the four majors between them.
In the past, tennis legends like Boris Becker, Stanislas Wawrinka, Carlos Moya, Marin Cilic and Rafael Nadal have competed in the tournament which has been renamed as Maharashtra Open.
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