Photo: Ron C. Angle
Marcos’ campaign at the Sony Ericsson Open came to an end in windy conditions on Monday in Miami as World No. 9 Marin Cilic prevailed 6-3, 6-4 in the pair’s first meeting.
Rain caused disruptions to the schedule on Monday and it was to a blustery Grandstand court that Marcos walked out to at around 4:30pm local time. Both players struggled to find a rhythm as the wind played its part, but it was Cilic who was able to carve out the first break of serve in the sixth game; a fortunate miss-timed forehand from the Croat forcing an error from Marcos. The seventh-seeded Cilic then confidently closed out the first set, finding the mark with his blistering forehand on set point in the ninth game.
Marcos paid the price for a lack of first serves in the fifth game of the second set and some punishing returns off second serves by Cilic saw the 21 year old break to lead 3-2. The Croatian gave Marcos no chance to recover the break, serving well and commanding play from the baseline to prevail after 76 minutes.
Defeat brings to an end Marcos’ North American hard-court campaign and he will next return to court on clay at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters in two week’s time.
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