So there you go. I’ll see you later for the said Mr Djokovic vs Wawrinka. That should be a better affair than the one we’ve just watched. Come back from 7pm and we can find out together. Thanks for reading and enjoy the rest of the afternoon!
Berdych: “I was really just trying to refocus on my game and wait and see what happened on the court. It was more about fighting today then going through smoothly but it’s a win and that’s what counts. It’s not my first year and I’d experienced losing the first group match in the past. I knew how to do it and I think that was the biggest difference tonight.”
On facing Novak Djokovic on Friday: “Any tips, guys?” – he looks towards the crowd, who giggle as desired.
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Berdych did well, and autographs a camera in fluorescent pen to celebrate, but this was not a good match. Cilic, who has admittedly had injury problems going into this tournament, never got started at all.
Berdych wins 6-3 6-1!
Second set: Berdych* 6-3 6-1 Cilic More bad luck for Cilic as a serviceable-looking backhand clips off the net, up and long. 15-0. Berdych looks entirely unflustered but then Cilic does find a winner and it’s 15-15. Then the Czech hits a common-or-garden shot into the net and, well, he couldn’t could he? Another strong first serve suggests not, but then Cilic outrallies him very nicely, forcing a wide forehand, and wins a break point. 30-40. He can’t get near the ace that follows – nobody would have done – but then Berdych nets when all he needs to do is go through a gaping space down the line! Nerves from him here? Maybe not because he forces a weak return and flashes away the next shot. Deuce again. Into the net from Cilic’s backhand and Berdych has his first match point. On his second serve, he takes it! A deep backhand it too good for Cilic, who stretches and nets. That’s it, handshakes and fairly polite applause all round.
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Second set: Berdych 6-3 5-1 Cilic* Absolutely essential game for Cilic to hold on and it doesn’t start well, as his second serve is swatted past him. For his next trick, Cilic tries a drop shot and it doesn’t even reach the net. Really wasn’t the time or place for that. 27 unforced errors now. Then a big forehand winner from Berdych and we’re at 0-40 already. The first break point is saved with a lovely, precise backhand and it’s about time we saw more of this from him. But we probably won’t, as he then nets a forehand and Berdych is on the verge of winning this now.
Second set: Berdych* 6-3 4-1 Cilic Early points swapped as Cilic misses another makeable backhand. So many errors from his racquet. Berdych then seems to hit one long but it’s not called and Cilic appeals...unsuccessfully. It wasn’t even a winner, and he loses the point needlessly. Little is going right for him, although a Berdych forehand miss gives him a glimmer at 30-30. Leaping, once more, into an ill-fated backhand he then gives Berdych a game point and it is converted with a rocket of a first serve. A long way back for Cilic now. It’s been a non-event of a performance from him.
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Second set: Berdych 6-3 3-1 Cilic* A couple of fine first serves from Cilic and the crowd like that – they want a game of this. Then another easy missed forehand. Berdych is not having to contribute a great deal here at times. Then he really does step up with a delightful, disguised forehand winner after a rally in which he moved his opponent around the court adroitly. And after that a break point – backhand winner that Cilic seems to misjudge a little as it drifts just in. It sets up the break! Another wide forehand from Cilic and Berdych is well, well in control now!
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Email from John McEnerney: “Hoping these two serve up a cracker considering it’s been a fairly average enough tournament so far. These lads are evenly matched & it’s too close to call. Great to see the great Goran back in London, some player him! Looking at a Fed v Novak final I think, they are just too much for the rest to handle!”
Second set: Berdych* 6-3 2-1 Cilic Cilic brings us to 15-15 with a nice, aggressive forehand. Better. And then he earns a couple of break points after Berdych nets twice on his forehand, but on the Czech’s second serve Cilic goes long on the first of them. A booming ace for deuce and perhaps this blip from Berdych, who has rarely made two consecutive errors as in this game, is over. Cilic frustrates himself yet again with a backhand into the net and arms start waving around a bit. Then he returns long and Berdych takes the game. Cilic is doing himself few favours: that was a big chance with his opponent clearly off colour.
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Second set: Berdych 6-3 1-1 Cilic* Cilic races to 40-0 virtually unopposed, but then messes up a volley. I think some Croatian swear words may have been used. More follow as a cross-court backhand goes well wide and it’s 40-30. Doesn’t matter and Berdych, who is certainly hitting the ball better, nets a backhand and we’re tied.
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Second set: Berdych* 6-3 1-0 Cilic Berdych, who is wearing a baseball cap in what is virtually pitch blackness outside of the court, starts this one off and the pair trade points early on. The exchange does not continue as two solid first serves go unreturned. So does the third, and that ended up being a straightforward start for him.
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Berdych wins the first set 6-3!
First set: Berdych 6-3 Cilic* But Cilic does look more confident now and an ace, his first, takes this one to 30-0. It’s pulled back to 30-30 though, after a lovely, curving forehand from Berdych clips the line. And then he manufactures a set point with a clinical backhand pass! Big pressure on Cilic here and, on his second serve, he forces a forehand error. Props to him. But Berdych makes him rush his own forehand next, and is set point number two. Upon which, drama as Cilic hits wide...appeals....and loses! Berdych takes the set! It took time to get going but the last two or three games picked up a bit. Cilic has looked very nervy.
First set: Berdych* 5-3 Cilic New balls, served by the black-clad Berdych, who errs badly on the first point after a Cilic shot clips invitingly up off the net. Five points in a row for Cilic. And then the first rally to bring oooohs from the crowd is finished well by the Croat with a thumping volley. Interesting, now, and 0-30. Cilic blots his copybook by slicing long a little unnecessarily. Ivanisevic gazes on. But Cilic is starting to find the lines now and, much more aggressive at this stage, comes in again to volley for 15-40. Two points to level things up! A fantastic Berdych backhand – best shot of the match yet – saves one. A silly long Cilic forehand saves the second. He then goes wide on deuce to give Berdych a game point. Then a superb first serve from Berdych is only cursorily returned and he snaffles it up. Best game of the match so far but Cilic missed a good chance to pull level. He might not get many more.
First set: Berdych 4-3 Cilic* Cilic manoeuvres himself into a nice position on the first point but, as he looked to finish things off, bounces the ball off the top of the net and out. It’s how things are going for him. And things get a bit worse and Berdych, again, successfully challenges a serve that was called in and forces a backhand error on the second. 0-30. A better second serve, again into Berdych’s body, gets him back in with a shout. But then he nets again with a forehand after a nice cross-court from Berdych: 15-40. In perhaps the most ambitious rally of the match yet, Cilic saves the first break point after an error from his opponents – and then he gobbles up the second after a first serve is floated back to him. A nice, sweeping backhand sets up a game point and then, to a big pump and a “COME ON!”, he gets himself out of danger with an unreturnable first serve. Was this game a turning point? Berdych definitely missed a good chance to put the first set pretty much out of sight here.
First set: Berdych* 4-2 Cilic Berdych, serving now, goes deep with a backhand and rushes to the net. He looks more aggressive of the two and it’s enough to force an error for 15-0. We’re quickly up to 40-0 and Cilic isn’t getting much of a sniff on his opponent’s serve. He has a half-chance on the next point but again his long on the forehand and the game is easily Berdych’s. Eleven consecutive points won on his serve.
First set: Berdych 3-2 Cilic* At last a decent forehand winner from Cilic and that might do him the world of good. His backhand then deserts him and we’re at 15-15. A lady on the crowd ends up catching the ball from his wayward first serve on the next point, and he fares little better on the second. But the next one makes Berdych stretch and hit off the frame: 30-30. The one after is also good, and the return only finds the net. The one after that is gettable but Berdych’s attempt at arrowing one down the line is misjudged. Out that goes and Cilic gets another game under his belt. All a bit patternless so far though, really.
First set: Berdych* 3-1 Cilic Cilic makes his fifth error – already – with a long forehand to lose the first point. The next one is replayed as the line judge makes a clearly-very-poor call on a Berdych shot that was well in. It makes little difference as Cilic can’t return a second serve aimed very closely at his body, and then the Croat goes long again for 40-0. At the second time of asking, Berdych puts a straightforward volley away on the next point and already looks well in control here.
First set: Berdych 2-1 Cilic* Cilic finds some momentum on his serve and goes 40-0 up in straightforward fashion. He needs this, or things might start running away from him. A good, sliced second serve sees Berdych hit well wide of the left tramlines and Cilic does, indeed, have his first game of a contest that is yet to find much rhythm at all.
First set: Berdych* 2-0 Cilic First blood to Cilic as Berdych, who seems to have done the hard work, goes well wide with a volley. A booming first serve brings things level but back comes Cilic, making Berdych net, before the match’s first ace gives us 30-30. These players still look nervous. Berdych is confident enough though to make an appeal after his next serve is called wide, and he succeeds – there’s our second ace. Cilic can’t return the next one either, and eventually that was a decent hold.
First set: Berdych 1-0 Cilic* Berdych takes the first two points after errors from Cilic, and the Croat then nets a simple forehand and finds himself 0-40 down straightaway. He then gets his feet under the table as Berdych goes long after a rally of respectable duration, and Berdych then nets himself. 30-40 and neither player has got going. The Cilic gets a strong first serve in at last, which Berdych is wrong-footed by and slices away for deuce. Errors from both maintain the status quo first time out, and then a fine forehand from Cilic across the court forces a game point. He can’t convert, going long in the fifth shot of the next rally, and is made to pay when an aggressive Berdych wins another break point. And this time he converts! Cilic is forced to net after a good, diagonal backhand from the Czech and we have an early break here!
Now we begin. Cilic to serve.
Always keen for your input, by the way. Email address is above. Let’s talk.
Cilic, of course, is coached by Goran Ivanisevic. Any excuse, then, to remember one of my favourite sporting stories ever:
Cilic is out on court waiting as Berdych sorts out his affairs on his bench, which is by far the brightest object courtside. Mind games? Probably, a bit. Now they toss, and the rather unnecessarily loud music is turned down. Cilic will serve first. The music is back on as they knock up. We can’t do without the music.
Berdych, now, enters the fray in his own cloud of smoke and dreams. He waves awkwardly.
Cilic is out first. It’s dark and, well, a bit lonely.
The lights are down. A big electronic heart is beating. The players are walking out.
Cilic is of course the US Open holder and Berdych reached the last four of the Australian Open. And I suppose that’s the kind of form you’d expect from players in this competition. But it goes to show that we should not read too much into their early showings here.
Cilic has just spoken to Sky. What does he hope for? “To start off a little bit better. To try and hold my serve. With Tomas it’s always dangerous if you let him control the game. The guy who’s gonna take care of the short balls and the opportunities he is going to have will do better today.”
Berdych: “To try to play better tennis, that’s my main focus for today. As long as it’s very close or tight then experience or momentum or choosing the right situations [will be the key].”
Good afternoon
And welcome to the clash of two thus far very movable objects. Its Tomas Berdych versus Marin Cilic, and these two both suffered very poor defeats first time out, with a common denominator of 6-1 6-1. Berdych was overcome by Novak Djokovic and Cilic by Stanislas Wawrinka. It basically means that this is must-win for both, and it’s a hard one to call. Berdych is seventh in the world, Cilic ninth; Berdych leads the head-to-head 5-4. Any guesses? Me neither. I think we’re in for a very, very tight slug this afternoon.
Nick will be here shortly before play begins. In the meantime, here’s Andy Murray on facing Roger Federer:
Andy Murray rediscovered some of his best tennis to save his place in the 2014 ATP World Tour Finals at the O2 Arena in Greenwich, beating Milos Raonic 6-3, 7-5 to set up a showdown with Roger Federer in the last group match on Thursday tomorrow night. If he had lost to the off-key Canadian, his season was over but he played with the required intensity in front of a loud, sell-out crowd.
Federer, who beat Raonic handily on Sunday and has already qualified for the semi-finals, looked superb on Tuesday in a straight-sets win over Japan’s Kei Nishikori, who had beaten a lacklustre Murray in the tournament’s opening match. Nishikori plays Raonic , so Murray will go into his contest knowing what he has to do.
“For me it depends on the winner of the Nishikori/Raonic match,” said the Scot. “If Kei wins, then I need to beat Roger, it depends on the scoreline of that match with Kei and Raonic. If Raonic wins, then I know that all I need to do is win the match against Roger and I’ll be through. I’m not going to know that until I get ready for the match because I can’t predict the future.”
This will be the 23rd meeting between Murray and Federer over 10 years and in the head-to-head they each have 11 wins apiece. “I played him in my first ever final in Bangkok,” Murray said. “It was a great experience then, as it has been every time I’ve played against him.
