Andy Murray moved a step closer to a record fifth Queen’s Club title as the defending champion battled into the final with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 victory over Marin Cilic yesterday.
Murray was pushed hard by Cilic but eventually subdued the Croatian in a tense two-hour semi-final and will face either Canadian third seed Milos Raonic or Australia’s Bernard Tomic for the trophy. The 29-year-old Scot’s primary aim is to hone his grass-court game with Wimbledon starting in just over a week, but he would also relish passing John McEnroe, Andy Roddick, Lleyton Hewitt, Roy Emerson and Boris Becker as the sole owner of the most Queen’s crowns. “There have been many great players over the years who have played here so if I can do better than them and win a fifth title, then it is a good sign, but I’m certainly not taking anything for granted,” Murray said.
Reaching his fifth final of the year will be hugely encouraging for Murray in the week he reunited with coach Ivan Lendl, two years after they originally parted ways. The two-time Grand Slam champion looks to have got his painful French Open final loss to Novak Djokovic out of his system as he prepares for his latest attempt to emulate his historic 2013 Wimbledon triumph.