Marin Cilic has come from a set down to beat Kei Nishikori in their final group match at the ATP World Tour Finals in London this evening.
Nishikori was already guaranteed a semi-final place heading into the match following Andy Murray's straight-sets victory over Stanislas Wawrinka earlier today, but the world number five will go into the clash off the back of a 6-3 2-6 3-6 defeat.
Nishikori made a promising start to the match with an early break that allowed him to move into a 3-1 lead, and he didn't give anything away on his serve as Cilic looked to find a way back into the set.
Indeed, it was Nishikori who got the next break too, finishing off the set in the ninth game to seemingly put him on course for victory.
However, despite being left with nothing but pride to play for following defeats in his opening two group games, Cilic fought back in the second set and reeled off five consecutive games to haul himself into the reckoning.
Nishikori stopped the rot to make it 5-2, but it was merely delaying the inevitable as Cilic served out the set to take the match to a decider.
The world number seven carried that form into the third set too, breaking in the fifth game and then again in the ninth, the latter of which saw him wrap up the match at the second time of asking.
Despite the defeat, Nishikori will go through to face Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals at the O2 Arena, with the winner taking on either Murray or Milos Raonic in the final.
Barney Corkhill
