Marin Cilic won the toss and elected to serve. He reached 40-30 but was taken to deuce before holding the game.
In the second game, Zverev conceded a service break and Cilic consolidated to lead 3-0. The gap could have been widened but Zverev survived two break points before holding to register 1-3 on scoreboard.
When Cilic registered his third ace in holding the fifth game, it looked like a run for the set. Zverev, however, found his service rhythm to hold his serve and followed by taking Cilic’s serve to lead 4-3.
As games were won on serve, the players reached six games apiece. In a drama-packed tiebreak, Cilic dropped his first point on serve and Zverev lost one of his two, enabling the German to lead 4-2 at changeover when he extended the lead to 5-2. Another mini-break of Cilic’s serve gave Zverev two set points on serve.
However, he lost his two consecutive service points to reduce the tally 6-5. On the third set point, a first serve from Cilic was returned for a winner.
In the second set, games proceeded quickly on serve until Cilic broke Zverev in the seventh game to lead 4-3. In a repeat of the first set pattern, Zverev broke back and held to lead 5-4. In the 10th game, Cilic saved a match point at 30-40 and went on to hold. A quick service game by Zverev gave him a 6-5 lead.
The Croatian held his service to level six games apiece. Zverev held the first point on serve and took one of his opponent’s deliveries.
From then on, it was a one-way run as Cilic made a double fault to face match point, which Zverev clinched.
The 30-year old Cilic won their first encounter in the quarterfinals of the 2015 Washington DC Classic but the 21-year old German has won all subsequent meetings, including the round robin of the same London event in 2017 and the semifinal of the 2018 Rome Masters tournament.
Roger Federer fell to Kei Nishikori 7/6 (4) 6/3 in the first major upset in their group round-robin.
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