WASHINGTON — After two hours of intense practice in the lingering afternoon heat last week at the Citi Open, Marin Cilic finished with a series of sprints. From one baseline to the other, he went faster when fading away would have made more sense.
The pacing echoed his full-throttle finish at the United States Open last year. Cilic, as the No. 14 seed, raced through the toughest stages, winning his quarterfinal, semifinal and final matches all in straight sets to claim his first Grand Slam title.
Prevailing against Tomas Berdych, Roger Federer and Kei Nishikori, all higher-ranked opponents, Cilic became the most shocking major winner on the men’s side in a decade dominated by the so-called Big Four of Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray.