Cilic passes clay test
Croatian fourth seed Marin Cilic passed a stern clay test against Russian Igor Andreev, 6-7, 6-1, 6-4, on Tuesday to kick-start his season on the surface with a second-round victory.
While admitting that it always takes him a week or more to get into his rhythm on the surface, the two-time ATP champion this season was pleased to take the win on a sunny day on the Court Central in just under three hours.
"It was my first match on the clay this season and Igor has some matches already," said Cilic, who took his record in the series to 4-1. "He really pushed me, it was a good opening match."
Cilic faced 18 break points, saving 14 in the struggle with the Russian whose clay highlight in February was a semifinal in Brazil. The big-hitting Croatian was held to a modest five aces and broke Andreev on 11 of his 19 chances.
French players went two-for-three on the day in the first round, as injured and hurting Paul-Henri Mathieu suffered the day's home loss at the storied Mediterranean venue.
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