NEW YORK (AP) – Marin Cilic reached his first Grand Slam semifinal in more than four years, upsetting sixth-seeded Tomas Berdych in straight sets at the U.S. Open.
The 14th-seeded Croat won 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (4) on Thursday. Cilic missed last year’s U.S. Open because of a doping suspension after testing positive for a banned stimulant. He said he ingested it unintentionally from a glucose tablet bought at a pharmacy.
His ranking slipped to 47th last fall, but it has steadily climbed back under the coaching of countryman Goran Ivanisevic, the 2001 Wimbledon champ.
On a windy afternoon, Cilic’s serve was sharp while Berdych’s was shaky. He’ll face Roger Federer or Gael Monfils on Saturday in his first major semifinal since the 2010 Australian Open. Federer and Monfils play Thursday night.