Defending champion Marin Cilic stunned at Istanbul Open
Marin Cilic’s defence of his Istanbul Open trophy came to a shuddering halt as he went down against Malek Jaziri.
World No 4 Cilic, who finished runner-up to Roger Federer at this year’s Australian Open, had high hopes of successfully defending his title, but Jaziri stunned him 6-4, 6-2 in the last 16 on Thursday.
The Croat had the early advantage as he broke to make it 2-0, but Jaziri claimed three consecutive breaks of serve to win the opening set while two breaks in the second set earned the Tunisian the win.
“It was my first match and Malek played great,” Cilic said.
“I had issues with my knee, so I wasn’t serving that well. But all the credit to Malek. I tried to play aggressively and I didn’t want to slow the pace down or be defensive.”
Jaziri will face seventh-seeded Jiri Vesely for a place in the semi-final after the Czech player beat Thiago Monteiro from Brazil 6-2, 2-6, 7-6 (7-3).
Second seed Damir Dzumhur also crashed out as he was beaten 6-2, 0-6, 6-2 by Thomas Fabbiano, who will face Jeremy Chardy next after the Frenchman overcame Dusan Lajovic 4-6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-2.
Latest
-
WTA TourRising Chinese star Zheng Qinwen surges into first WTA final in Tokyo
Zheng Qinwen will contest her first WTA Tour final against Russia’s Liudmila Samsonova in Tokyo.
-
Tennis NewsTeam Europe take lead in Laver Cup as Roger Federer watches
Matteo Berrettini gave Europe the edge in the Laver Cup on Saturday.
-
NewsRoger Federer hints at farewell tour ‘to say thank you to fans’
Roger Federer lost his final competitive match but wants to say farewell to his fans all over the world in some way.
-
Tennis NewsRoger Federer’s classy farewell reminds others how it should be done
Compare Federer’s farewell with that of Serena Williams at the US Open and you observe a very different route to an exit.
-
WTA TourEmma Raducanu halted by injury once again as she retires from Korea Open semi-final
Emma Raducanu missed out on a place in the Korea Open final after an injury halted her promising run in Seoul.
-
NewsRoger Federer ends illustrious career with doubles defeat at Laver Cup
The Swiss great announced last week this doubles tie would be the final match of his professional career.
-
NewsEmotional Roger Federer bids tearful farewell to professional tennis
Federer partnered with Rafael Nadal in the final match of his illustrious career.
-
NewsA closer look at the incredible career of Roger Federer
The Swiss maestro is hanging up his racket after the Laver Cup.
-
NewsEmma Raducanu reacts to reaching her first WTA Tour semi-final
The 19-year-old beat Magda Linette 6-2 6-2 in Seoul and will face top seed Jelena Ostapenko for a place in the final.
-
NewsFiery climate protest interrupts Laver Cup match in London
The incident happened during the clash between Stefanos Tsitsipas and Diego Schwartzman.