Australian Open 2019: Marin Čilić bows out after five-set marathon

MELBOURNE, 20 January 2019 – Croatia’s Marin Čilić has bowed out of the Australian Open in the Round of 16 after a marathon five-set match on Sunday.  

Čilić came back from 2-1 down level the match at 2-2 but would eventually go down to Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut 6-7, 6-3, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 in just under four hours on Margaret Court Arena. 

The Croatian took the opening set in a tiebreaker before the tournament’s 22nd-seed claimed the second set after breaking in the 8th game when Čilić made an unforced forehand error. 

Agut would break in the opening game of the third set when the Croatian made another unforced forehand error before breaking again to win the set 6-2.

Čilić would break in the tenth game of the fourth set with a fantastic cross-court winner to claim it 6-4 and set up a fifth and deciding set. 

Mighty Marin!@cilic_marin takes the fourth set 6-4 over #BautistaAgut and we’re into a FIFTH!#AusOpen pic.twitter.com/yFFAI7umST

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 20, 2019

The fifth set went on serve until Agut would break in the 9th game after Čilić double-faulted and made a forehand error to go 5-4 up. He would hold serve to eventually take the match. It was Čilić’s second five-set marathon. On Friday he came back from 2-0 down to beat Fernando Verdasco.

Next up in the quarterfinals for Agut is either Roger Federer or Stefanos Tsitsipas.