Marin Cilic sets up quarter-final clash with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at US Open
Sunday 6 September 2015 20:44, UK
Marin Cilic proved simply too powerful for Jeremy Chardy as he continued the defence of his men's US Open title with a fourth round win.
The Croat overcame the loss of the second set, firing down 23 aces against Chardy on the way to a 6-3 2-6 7-6 6-1 victory and will face Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the quarter-finals at Flushing Meadows.
Following his five-set win over Mikhail Kukushkin, Cilic appeared on course for a less troublesome match when he took the opening set.
But defending his crown has been a laborious task for the world No 9 and he was hampered by an ankle problem while surrendering his serve in the second.
Fortunately for Cilic he rediscovered his range in the third set tie-breaker, sending down four aces to move 6-1 up before eventually taking it 7-2.
Chardy crumbled in the fourth set as Cilic surged into a 5-0 advantage and he set up a showdown with 19th seed Tsonga in the next stage.
"Key today was finding my rhythm on the serve, especially towards the end of the third set," said Cilic.
"I was having trouble a little with my movement after I twisted my ankle in the second set. That was causing me a little trouble, but in the end it's pretty good.
"I played really good in the fourth set, really great tennis, so I'm happy about it."
Tsonga maintained his impressive progress with a 6-4 6-3 6-4 victory over compatriot Benoit Paire.
The 30-year-old has found his form at the right time after slipping to 18 in the world rankings and is yet to drop a set or lose his serve through four rounds.
