Australian Open Day 11:Cilic into third grand slam final: Halep and Wozniacki into women’s final; doping probe rocks Open
Marin Cilic is into the Australian Open final, belting Kyle Edmund, who delivered a huge blow up, refusing to play till he spoke to the tournament referee.
Thanks for joining us for day 11 of the Australian Open from Melbourne Park. Either Caroline Wozniacki or Simona Halep will claim their first garnd slam after semi-final wins, while Marin Cilic routed Kyle Edmund,who had a huge dummy spit, to reach the men’s final.
On Friday Roger Federer ttakes on Hyeon Chung while the women’s doubles will be decided when Kristina Mladenovic and Timea Babos playing Elena Vesnina and Ekaterina Makarova.
Key events
• Caroline Wozniacki has reached her first Australian Open final
• A French player faces a two-year ban in a doping probe
10.29pm: Cilic reflects on awesome performance
Marin Cilic delivered a high quality performance to see off Kyle Edmund but the Croatian knows he needs to kick it up another gear in the final.
Cilic described his second set against Kyle Edmund as fairly poor and knows that can’t be the case against either Roger Federer or Hyeon Chung on Sunday night.
“I think in the second set I was just a little bit up and down with my game,” Cilic said. “I wasn’t getting his serve back and he was starting to serve good and release on a couple of his forehands.
“It was difficult to connect on a couple of points in a row but I stayed mentally focussed to try and keep the pressure on.”
Edmund went off the court for treatment at the end of the first set and his movement got worse throughout the match and Cilic said he tried to exploit that as he ran away with the third set.
“I noticed in the third game of the third set, when I broke him, that he let a couple of balls go and with his movement he was more restricted so I tried to move him around and that second break was crucial.
“He had some tough five, four setters which left some scars on his body but he has a bright future.”
As for his final opponent Cilic doesn’t seem to care whether he plays rising Korean star Chung or the champion, Federer.
Of Chung he said: “He has played a few extremely great matches and the court suits him nicely. He is hitting great from the back of the court. Moving ... he is one of the best on tour and sliding more on the hardcourts than clay. Winning the Next Gen finals was great for him.”
As for Federer, Cilic is prepared for the usual onslaught from the man who bullied him in the 2017 Wimbledon final.
“Roger is always looking to play extremely aggressive... serving good and taking the ball early. With my own game if I am playing aggressive, serving good and hitting good shots from the baseline I think I can match him with that game.
“It’s difficult if you are running around and he is controlling the points.”
9.55pm: Cilic into Aus Open final
Marin Cilic has charged into the Australian Open final with a 6-2 7-6 6-2 rout of Kyle Edmund.
The Croatian was in imperious touch during the match, hitting 11 aces, winning 90 per cent of points on first serve and hitting 32 winners in the match.
He awaits either Roger Federer, who he lost the 2017 Wimbledon final to or Hyeon Chung.
9.22pm: Edmund blows up
Kyle Edmund has thrown the ultimate dummy spit, refusing to play until the tournament referee had been called.
In the second set Cilic had a first serve called a fault but the Croatian challenged and it was shown to be in. The umpire then awarded the point to Cilic but Edmund thought it should have been replayed and the blow up began.
The Brit argued the “out” call came as he hit the ball, which affected his return. But Aussie umpire John Blom stood firm, saying Edmund returned without knowing the ball would be called out.
High drama on @RodLaverArena as the tournament referee is summoned.
— #7TENNIS 🎾 (@7tennis) January 25, 2018
🇬🇧 @kyle8edmund cannot believe this point was awarded against him. What do you think? #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/R9fElnC9tP
The match then stopped as a furious Edmund demanded the referee intervene.
“Of course it affected me,” Edmund said. “Get the referee, that’s rubbish.
“Get the referee, I’m not having it.
“If the call is coming when I’m hitting the ball, it’s hindrance. Every time it works like that, why’s it different now? The call came as I was hitting it.
“How is that possible?
“Get the referee.”
Edmund went on to lose the set and be on the brink of elimination.
9.18pm: Cilic roars
Power, power and more raw power.
That’s been the story of the night from the racket of Marin Cilic as he bludgeons the ball off both wings routinely past Kyle Edmund.
The Brit picked up his game in the second set, forcing a tiebreak but a few big backhands later and Cilic is left on the brink of his first Australian Open final to go with finals at the 2014 US Open, which he won and 2017 at Wimbledon, where he lost to Roger Federer.
The score 6-2 7-6 to the world No.6
8.18pm: Cilic in cruise mode
Marin Cilic has taken the first set of his semi-final with Kyle Edmund 6-2.
The big Croat in complete control, winning 86 per cent of points on his first serve and putting Edmund on the back foot on his.
The Brit needs to find something and quick because he looks nervous and out of his depth so far.
7.30pm: It’s advantage Wozniacki
The stats say that Caroline Wozniacki should win the Australian Open - here’s why:
* Wozniacki despite a couple of epics of her own has spent 91 minutes less than Simona Halep on court this tournament - While Wozniacki has spent one minute shy of 10 hours on court, Halep has spent 11 hours and 30 minutes on court and done so with a suspect ankle.
* Wozniacki leads their career head-to-head 4-2 and has won the last three battles, including a 6-0 6-2 rout of Halep at last season’s WTA finals in Singapore. The hardcourt H2H is 2-2 and the duo have never played at a grand slam.
* Overall in finals Halep has the advantage and is 16-12 for a win per cent of 57.1 and Wozniacki is 27-24 for a win percentage of 52.9
7.15pm: Halep happy to let it ride in final
Simona Halep said she was hugely proud of reaching her third grand slam final and first away from the clay of Roland Garros.
“Definitely it was very tough, I am shaking now I am really emotional. I knew it was going to be very tough, she is a very tough opponent and moving very well,” Halep said of Kerber.
“I’m very glad I can win this match... it’s the second match the second long match for me to have in this tournament.
“This match I had two match balls and I lost them and she came back, so I had confidence I could do it too.
“I try to be very calm but today was a rollercoaster but I didn’t give up and I am really proud of myself actually.”
Both Halep and Caroline Wozniacki will go for their first slam title - and the No.1 ranking - in their third attempt at a slam title. Halep lost French Open finals in 2017 to Jelena Ostapenko and 2014 to Maria Sharapova, both in three sets, while Wozniacki has two straight sets US Open final losses - to Kim Clijsters in 2009 and Serena Williams in 2014 - behind her.
Halep said she had plenty of respect for the Dane but would not stress over claiming a maiden grand slam after the two defeats.
“I respect her a lot and I know it will be big challenge If it’s going to come it’s going to come.”
6.40pm: Halep wins a classic
The top seed has survived, taking the third set for a 6-3 4-6 9-7 win as Kerber finally cracks after 2hr 20min. We will have a first-time women’s grand slam champion as Halep joins Caroline Wozniacki in the final.
6.25pm: Halep’s turn to rally
Good luck finding a better match than this one. Halep goes for broke as Kerber edges ahead 40-15 while serving for the match at 6-5. It’s not a case of Kerber blowing the match points, Halep simply finds another level when she needs it. We’ve ticked past the two-hour mark in this semi-final. Halep holds for a 7-6 lead.
These rallies are out of this world. 🇩🇪 @AngeliqueKerber 🇷🇴 @Simona_Halep ðŸ‘😮 pic.twitter.com/5x6zguc4me
— #7TENNIS 🎾 (@7tennis) January 25, 2018
6.15pm: Kerber just won’t quit
Drama aplenty. Halep gets a break and serves for the match at 5-3 in the third. Kerber breaks, then saves two match points at 4-5 to get back on level terms. She breaks again and will serve for the match at 6-5. The crowd at Rod Laver Arena is being treated to what we can officially declare is an epic contest.
How. Good. Is. This. Match.#7Tennis #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/yoBU5LjWVI
— #7TENNIS 🎾 (@7tennis) January 25, 2018
5.45pm: Women’s tennis boring?
Angelique Kerber gets a break of serve in the first game of the third set after one of the most thrilling duels you will ever see. Halep, though, responds with a break of her own to level at 1-1 in the deciding set. The top seed then holds for a 2-1 lead.
GET OUT OF HERE 🇩🇪 @AngeliqueKerber! 😲ðŸ‘#7tennis #ausopen pic.twitter.com/a3Nmqqat1z
— #7TENNIS 🎾 (@7tennis) January 25, 2018
5.35pm: Kerber comeback
Angelique Kerber, the 2016 champion, digs deep in the second set after falling behind a break 3-1. She breaks back immediately, then fends off two break points in an absorbing eighth game to level at 4-4. The 30-year-old German reels off three games in a row to snatch the second set 6-4 and send this match to a decider, an event that looked highly unlikely 30 minutes ago.
After dropping the first five games of the opening set, 🇩🇪 @AngeliqueKerber has bounced back in style, taking the 2nd set 6ï¸âƒ£-4ï¸âƒ£ v 🇷🇴 @Simona_Halep!#7Tennis #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/iBt6XjqnbA
— #7TENNIS 🎾 (@7tennis) January 25, 2018
then breaks a n immedialet
4.50pm: Halep’s hot start
Simona Halep races to a 5-0 lead in the opening set with three breaks of serve before Angelique Kerber stems the tide. She gets a pair of service breaks of her own but then drops serve to concede the set 6-3.
That was a see-saw.
— #7TENNIS 🎾 (@7tennis) January 25, 2018
🇩🇪 @AngeliqueKerber trailed 0-5, got back to 3-5, then lost the first set 3-6 to 🇷🇴 @Simona_Halep.#7Tennis #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/RTJAicQYeA
4.30pm: Wozniacki’s road to the final
Round 1: beat Mihaela Buzarnescu (Romania) 6-2 6-3
Round 2: beat Jana Fett (Croatia) 3-6 6-2 7-5
Round 3: beat Kiki Berterns (Netherlands) 6-4 6-3
Round 4: beat Magdalena Rybarikova (Slovakia) 6-3 6-0
Quarter-final: beat Carala Suarez Navarro (Spain) 6-0 6-7 (7-3) 6-2
Semi-final: beat Elise Mertens (Belgium) 6-3 7-6 (7-2)
4.15pm: ‘My legs started shaking’
Caroline Wozniacki has survived a bout of nerves to reach her first Australian Open final, and stayed on course for a maiden grand slam title.
The 27-year-old dominated unseeded opponent Elise Mertens for most of their semi-final on Rod Laver Arena, until it was time to close it out.
After losing just one point on serve, Wozniacki got the wobbles at 6-3 5-3 and 30-0. She dropped serve and lost eight straight points to suddenly hand Mertens momentum.
Wozniacki fought off set points in her next service game and then raced away with the tiebreak 7-2.
The second seed admitted after the match that she had tightened up, as memories flooded back of her Australian Open semi-final against Li Na in 2011. On that occasion she failed to convert match points and lost in three sets.
“I got really tight at (5-3),” Wozniacki said. “I got up 30-0 and said ‘OK, calm down’. But then I wasn’t good any more.
“The Li Na semi-final was definitely on my mind. I was lucky to stay calm and get the win. Normally I’m really calm but my legs started shaking.”
Fortunately for Wozniacki, Mertens has had troubles of her own closing out matches in her first Australian Open.
Her inexperience showed in the tiebreak, which quickly became a formality for the Dane.
“I have been here before and in that situation,” Wozniacki said. “I know how my opponent is feeling and I thought ‘she is nervous now too’.”
“I just took a few deep breaths and once she had set point, I said: ‘Well, I guess it is a third set. Just need to go forward’.”
3.55pm: Wozniacki wins
The second seed makes hard work of it, but prevails in the second set tiebreak to claim the match 6-3 7-6 (7-2) to reach the final.
We have a FINALIST!
— #7TENNIS 🎾 (@7tennis) January 25, 2018
🇩🇰 @CaroWozniacki is through to her FIRST @AustralianOpen Final.
The World No. 2 defeats 🇧🇪 @elise_mertens 6-3, 7-6! @kiaaustralia pic.twitter.com/JLElClzUt2
3.47pm: We’re off to a tiebreak
Wozniacki averts disaster while serving to stay in the second set at 5-6. She staves off two set points and holds to level the scores after a battle, helped by a couple of nerveless second serves...
3.35pm: Tightening up
All of a sudden, this has become interesting. Wozniacki serves for the match at 5-3 in the second set and races to a 30-0 lead before nerves set in. After conceding just one point on serve in the second set, she loses four points in a row, including a double fault to concede the break. Mertens then holds to love as the match is turned on its head. That happened quickly!
Wow. It was all going so rosy for Wozniacki, but out of nowhere we're LEVEL in the 2nd set!#7Tennis #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/fu74hnbH7y
— #7TENNIS 🎾 (@7tennis) January 25, 2018
3.30pm: I got this ...
Wozniacki has a message for her supporters late in the second set, telling them to ease up on the vociferous support. She’s clearly high on confidence right now.
🇩🇰 @CaroWozniacki tells her players box to calm down... usually it's the other way around!
— #7TENNIS 🎾 (@7tennis) January 25, 2018
😂#7Tennis #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/ms7jdvPuDU
3.25pm: Royalty in attendance
Former Australian Open champion and 12-time major winner Billie Jean King is among those taking in the action.
3.20pm: Wozniacki’s power play
A stumble from Mertens, as three straight unforced errors hands Wozniacki a big break of serve in the second and a 3-2 lead. Wozniacki has been dominant on her own serve, losing just one point in her opening three games. Another easy hold for the Dane and the lead is now 4-2. She will be hard to beat from here.
3.05pm: Big hold of serve
Mertens staves off two break points in the first game of the second set and hangs on, taking a 1-0 lead. Wozniacki quickly levels with a love-game.
2.55pm: Second seed rolling
First set to Wozniacki. In a sign that nerves appear to be affecting her, Mertens has racked up 12 unforced errors, while Wozniacki has only three. The Dane is getting great depth on her groundstrokes, and her work down the lines has been spectacular.
🇩🇰 @CaroWozniacki on 🔥 as she holds for 5-2 v 🇧🇪 @elise_mertens #7Tennis #ausopen pic.twitter.com/YxNqhN2OIi
— #7TENNIS 🎾 (@7tennis) January 25, 2018
2.30pm: Early edge to Wozniacki
The second seed breaks Elise Mertens’ serve to take a 3-1 lead and staves off a break point in the next game to consolidate. A string of forehand errors by Mertens has handed Wozniacki the advantage.
A fast start could be the 🔑 for @CaroWozniacki.
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 25, 2018
She races to a 4-1 lead in the first set. #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/An3dCNnABB
2.15pm: Form v experience
Second seed Caroline Wozniacki and Elise Mertens are on court as they prepare for action. Will Mertens be able to control her nerves if she gets in a winning position? Wozniacki has the clear edge in experience, her opponent is on a spectacular run at the moment.
And they’re off!
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 25, 2018
Good luck ladies!#AusOpen pic.twitter.com/yQUDv682nW
1.30pm: Federer and the revolution
Roger Federer welcomes the arrival of generation next as grand slam challengers, suspecting the emergence of Hyeon Chung and Kyle Edmund is merely the start of the revolution, AAP reports.
Federer takes on Chung on Friday night for a place in the Australian Open final, with the South Korean sensation threatening to end the Big Five’s three-year domination of grand slam tennis after marching through the Melbourne Park draw.
Between them, Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka have won the past dozen grand slam crowns - and 49 of the past 51 - stretching back to Nadal’s major championship breakthrough at the 2005 French Open.
Federer alone has squared off against 12 different grand slam final opponents in an incomparable career spanning three generations of rivals. But the 36-year-old has never before encountered 21-year-old Chung - on any court, let alone in a grand slam semi-final.
“I’m very excited to play Chung. It’s a good thing. They (the young brigade) have got to make a move,” he said.
“I find it disappointing when their breakthroughs come at 27 because then we know them for seven years, let’s say.
“I like it when we don’t know the guys. I hardly know Chung. I’ve hardly spoken to him.” The same goes for 23-year-old Brit Kyle Edmund, who along with Chung provided the Open with two unseeded semi-finalists for the first time since 1999. After years of the usual suspects featuring in the pointy end of majors, Federer says it’s refreshing to see new faces fighting for the sport’s greatest prizes.
“I had one Nike appearance once with Edmund over in London. That’s about it,” said the Swiss Master, who will be contesting a mind-boggling 43rd grand slam semi-final.
“Maybe otherwise I’ve shaken his hand twice and spoken a few words to him. “In a way I like it because it’s really something totally new.”
Federer believes the return to only 16 seeds in 2018, after 17 years with 32, will make grand slams even more unpredictable and interesting. “It’s going to be quite different,” he said.
“That’s how I grew up with it. It’s nice to go back to that. “I do believe in some ways it’s going to open some draws, but at the same time it’s going to be some really tough ones from the get-go, which I think is a good thing.
“Those first weeks sometimes have become really dull sometimes.” Chung has been anything but dull in lighting up the Open with a succession of electrifying performances.
He took out both Zverev brothers, first Murray’s 2017 Open conqueror Mischa, then fourth-seeded Alexander, before capturing Federer’s attention with a stunning straight-sets of Djokovic in the fourth round.
“He played an incredible match against Novak,” Federer said. “To beat him here is one of the tough things to do in our sport. “But to bounce back from a Novak match and just somehow get it done (in the quarter-finals against Tennys Sandgren), that’s tough.
“That shows that he’s had good composure, a great mindset. Also physically he must have recovered because Novak is going to give you a bit of a workout. “It’s an interesting match for me. I’ll definitely have to look into how I need to play against him because he has some great qualities, especially defensively, like Novak has.”
12.30pm: Mertens mastery
Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki faces a tricky opponent in the form of Elise Mertens, who is in red-hot form as she prepares for today’s semi-final.
The unseeded Mertens has made the last four in her tournament debut and is on a 10-match unbeaten run after winning the lead-up Hobart International.
She has yet to drop a set on her march to the last four.
“She’s had a very good start to the year, she’s unbeaten,” said Wozniacki, who is targeting a maiden Grand Slam title after a decade of trying. “I remember playing her in Bastad. She’s a great player.”
11.30am: Boom Boom’s trophy hunters
Boris Becker won six grand slams during a glittering career, including the Australian Open twice, but even those treasured trophies are fair game as insolvency practitioners responsible for handling his bankruptcy try to track them down to pay his creditors, AFP reports.
The German took the tennis world by storm when as a red-headed 17-year-old he became the then youngest-ever men’s Grand Slam champion at Wimbledon in 1985, defending his trophy the following year.
Nicknamed “Boom Boom” Becker early in his career, he went on to win a further four majors and 49 singles titles in all, amassing $25 million in prize money and was selected to enter the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2003.
But the 50-year-old’s business career has been less successful and last year he suffered the ignominy of being declared bankrupt by a London court.
Now, in an unusual twist, Becker is pleading for help to track down five missing Grand Slam trophies -- including all three of his Wimbledon trophies -- plus others, with the intention that they will be sold to pay his creditors.
Mark Ford, one of three insolvency practitioners at London-based Smith & Williamson, charged with collating Becker’s assets and selling them, told AFP that Becker’s case is complex, even after 20 years of dealing with corporate and personal insolvency.
“We are pursuing lines of inquiry into Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Guernsey, the United States, Australia -- for the recovery of trophies and other assets -- and Jersey. That is genuinely demonstrative of an international bankruptcy.
“We have spoken to close to 20 former advisers to Mr Becker and written to more than a dozen banks. There is plenty going on.”
Trophy hunt
Becker, who enjoyed a successful spell from 2014 until 2016 as coach of former world number one Novak Djokovic, during which the Serbian won six Grand Slam titles, is under pressure to find the trophies even though he says he does not know where they are.
“Mr Becker has, he claims, gifted only one trophy to his mother,” said Ford. “If he has gifted a trophy then that is something we would need to explore through discussion, and investigation, as that presents a difficult problem because there is no paperwork.
“All the trophies, medals and valuables will need to be given to me so that they can be sold to pay some money back to his creditors.”
“Typically these trophies are lent to institutions (the US Hall of Fame has several of Becker’s) -- that is less tricky,” said Ford. “There is no emotion in play... they understand they had the trophies on loan from Mr Becker before he was bankrupt and that loan no longer applies.
“My role is different from the official receiver who upholds the public interest with respect to a bankrupt’s conduct. My role is to take a commercial view and realise the value of assets and sell them for the benefit of all of his creditors.”
10.30am: Frenchwoman faces two-year ban
Frenchwoman Alize Cornet faces a disciplinary investigation after missing three random drug tests, the French tennis federation (FFT) has announced, AFP reports.
The FFT said they had been informed by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) that 27-year-old Cornet, ranked 42 in the world, had missed the tests in a 12-month period and would not be considered for Fed Cup duty while the inquiry was ongoing.
However, she insisted that the ITF “didn’t want to hear” her reasons for the missed tests.
“The French Tennis Federation, after being informed by the International Tennis Federation on January 11, takes note of the opening, against Alize Cornet, of a disciplinary procedure for a breach of the rules governing the anti-doping fight, in this case three non-appearances during random checks in the last twelve months,” said a FFT statement.
Cornet could be banned from the sport as World Anti-Doping Agency rules allow for a suspension of up to two years.
However, that could be halved depending on the degree of fault. Cornet will now have to prove that she had a legitimate reason for missing one of the tests.
Cornet was last in action at the Australian Open where she was knocked out in the third round by Belgian qualifier Elise Mertens.
The Frenchwoman needed a medical time-out in that clash, complaining of the effects of 40C heat. She went on to lambast tournament officials for treating players like “robots”.
“Among the 20 anti-doping controls that I had in the 2017 season, which were all negative of course, I missed three unannounced controls at home because of valuable reasons that the ITF didn’t want to hear,” Cornet wrote in a Twitter statement on Wednesday.
“My case will be presented in a hearing in March. I promise you to stay strong during this tough time.”
— Alize Cornet (@alizecornet) January 24, 2018
Cornet, who reached a career high of 11 in the world in 2009 and has won five singles titles, will not be considered for the French Fed Cup team’s World Group tie against Belgium on February 10 and 11.
“Pending the decision of the international disciplinary bodies, Pierre Cherret, the interim national technical director, in full agreement with Yannick Noah, the captain of the France team, decided to allow Alize Cornet prepare her defence and, therefore, not to name her in the team to be named next week,” added the FFT.
“The French Tennis Federation, despite the consequences that the absence of Alize Cornet is likely to cause for the France team on a sporting level, wishes to reaffirm its firm determination to see the anti-doping program of the ITF be fully implemented.”
9.30am: Day 11 preview
Rod Laver Arena (from 2pm)
Caroline WOZNIACKI (2) v Elise MERTENS
Wozniacki is back in a semi-final in Melbourne for the first time since 2011, while Mertens is into the last four at major level.
The Belgian is unbeaten in official matches this year after defending her title in Hobart to start the season.
She has been particularly impressive the entirety of the Australian summer. Provided the right-handed holds her nerve, she boasts a controlled aggression that gives her a chance of toppling the Dane.
She is seeking to become the first Belgian since Kim Clijsters in 2011 to reach a grand slam final.
Wozniacki was in the wilderness for a period but is clearly back in the form — or perhaps even better — than she was when reaching the world’s top ranking.
She had to play into the early hours of yesterday morning when beating Carla Suarez Navarro.
But that does not seem to be bothering too many players (predominantly women given the scheduling) this year in terms of their ability to back up, though Karolina Pliskova may beg to differ after being trounced by Simona Halep yesterday.
The Dane won their only outing in Bastad on clay last year in a tight three set match.
She has the benefit of having played five prior semi-finals at grand slam level but has only once reached a final, that in New York in 2014.
Simona HALEP (1) versus Angelique KERBER (21) (Rod Laver Arena, not before 4pm)
The German has been extremely impressive this year and is unbeaten. Under new coach Wim Fissette, she is playing with greater aggression and was completely dominant against Madison Keys yesterday.
Halep had her share of issues early in the tournament, which included a rolled ankle and a marathon test from Lauren Davis, but has found her best form in her last two wins.
The pair are well matched, with Kerber holding a slight edge in the head-to-head battle at 5-4.
She also won their two most recent matches on hardcourt in straight sets, but those date back to 2016.
Halep is still seeking her first grand slam title and just overcome a woman with two to make the final.
It shapes as an intriguing clash.
Marin CILIC (6) versus Kyle Edmund (Rod Laver Arena. 7.30pm)
Cilic is seeking to reach the 3rd grand slam final of his career after a triumph in New York in 2014 and the despair of Wimbledon last July.
This is uncharted territory for Edmund, whose best effort at major level prior was in New York in 2016.
But the Brit is not without a chance here based on the courage he has shown throughout a testing fortnight.
He will need to serve well and land his forehand, but he managed to do that against Grigor Dimitrov. He has not fluked his way to this stage of the tournament.
Cilic was fortunate that Rafael Nadal hurt himself in their semi-final, but he was right in the match at that stage. And this stage is not foreign to him either, for he played a semi-final in Melbourne back in 2010.
The 29-year-old is a deserving favourite here.
SCHEDULE
Rod Laver Arena (from 1100)
* S. Sanders (AUS), M. Polmans (AUS) v M. Martinez Sanchez (SP), M Demoliner (BRA), followed by
* E. Mertens (BELG) v 2-C. Wozniacki (DEN) followed by
* 1-S. Halep (ROM) v 21-A. Kerber (GER) followed by
* 6-M. Cilic (CRO) v K. Edmund (GBR) followed by
* J. Cabal (COL), 11-R. Farah (COL) v 6-B. Bryan (USA), M. Bryan
Margaret Court Arena (from 1100)
* H. Leconte (FR), M. Philippoussis (AUS) v T. Engvist (SWE), T. Woodbridge (AUS) followed by
* B. Mclachlan (JAP), J. Struff (GERM) v 7-O. Marach (AUST), M Pavic (CRO) followed by
* A. Sestini Hlavackova (CZE), 6-E. Roger-Vasselin (FR) v 3-E. Makarova (RUS), B. Soares (BRA) followed by
* G. Dabrowski (CAN), 8-M. Pavic (CRO) v J. Larsson (SWE), M. Mikkelkoop (NL)
Show Court 3 (from 1100)
* 9-X. Wang (CHI) v 2-E. Liang (TAI) followed by
* 1-X. Wang (CHI) v 5-N Sato (JAP) followed by
* A. Mchugh (GBR) v R. Hijikata (AUS), followed by
* V. Apisah (PNG), 7-L. Sun (SWI) v 2-S. Waltert (SWI), Xiyu Wang (CHI) followed by
* D. Hantuchova (SLO), M. Navratilova (USA) v N. Bradtke (AUS), R. Stubbs (AUS)
Additional reporting AAP/AFP
Australian Open’s call on shock US Open mixed doubles decision
The Australian Open has made a decisive call as to whether it will follow in the footsteps of the US Open and relegate mixed doubles to a pre-tournament sideshow.
Hunter reveals comeback plan, 10 months after brutal injury struck
Struck down by a brutal injury off the back of a career-best run, an Aussie tennis ace has revealed her plans to return to the court later this month.