LONDON – Top seed Marin Cilic saved a match point before edging past Novak Djokovic 5-7 7-6(4) 6-3 to win his second Queen’s Club Championships crown on Sunday.
Cilic, who last won the title in 2012, controlled the early exchanges from the baseline, but missed six break-point chances in the opening set, allowing Djokovic to battle back.
The 31-year-old Serb took his chances with a couple of crisp forehands in the 12th game to break the Cilic serve and claim the first set after an hour-long battle.
A rampant Djokovic conceded just one point on his first serve during the second set and looked like the favourite to close out the contest in the ninth game, but Cilic responded with a booming serve out wide to save match point.
A rare double fault from Djokovic at 4-4 in the tiebreak gave Cilic a way back into the match, and the Croat took charge by winning the next three points to force a decider.
With momentum back on his side, Cilic looked comfortable in the west London sunshine as he grabbed the only break in the final set to claim his first title of the year.