Kremlin Cup: Cilic to continue push for a London finals place

US Open champion aiming for more vital tour points

Who thought Marin Cilic would win the US Open this year? Any takers? Didn’t think so. The Croatian defied all odds and managed to record his first Grand Slam title, beating the likes of Tomas Berdych and Roger Federer in the process.

It will now be interesting to see how Cilic performs off the back of that victory, in what was unquestionably his greatest achievement in his career so far. He failed to impress in the Beijing Open a couple of weeks ago, losing in straight sets to Andy Murray in the quarter finals, prompting questions as to whether Cilic was still suffering a US Open hangover. Who can blame him?

Despite this, he goes into the Kremlin Cup in Moscow this week as one of the leading contenders to lift the trophy. If he wins this tournament then he has all but sealed his place in London next month, so he will be keen to finish his season on a high and qualify for the last prestigious tournament of the year.

Cilic should bounce back strong despite a poor performance in Beijing and could well replicate some of that fine form that saw him win the US Open.