Gilles Muller d. Sam Querrey 6-4 7-6(5)

Quarterfinal Friday began with former champion Sam Querrey taking on Gilles Muller. As billed, the match was high quality. The two were neck and neck in the 1st set until the 7th game when Muller broke through and ended Querrey’s service game streak. The 2nd set was equally compelling going to a tie-break where Muller would close with a beautiful shot.

In the semis, Muller will face 28-year old and former Aegon champion, Marin Cilic.

Afterward, Muller discussed his 2017 breakthrough year where he won his first ATP world tour title, “you can understand that it was something that I was working for my whole career, and then, I mean, I had to wait 16 years.  You can imagine the weight that I had on my shoulders to get that first trophy.”

“When I got it, it was tough, to be honest.  The first weeks after that were kind of a lot of questioning in my mind.  So, what do we do now?  It's something you work for so long, and then basically you reach that goal, so what are we doing now?”

“So, it took a while to digest the whole situation, but it gave me a lot of confidence and a lot of strength, also.  I think now the last couple of months have been really good for me.”

On being a father and a tennis professional, he had this to say, “The thing that has changed is when I didn't have kids, you are kind of leaving home, and when you're not winning or when you're feeling bad, you feel like, oh, today I don't want to do this, I don't want to practice, or give me a break.  But now when you leave, you have a reason.  You know, okay, I'm leaving now.  Obviously, I would love to stay home sometimes, so when you're gone, just do your job and do it for them and give it your best.”

Marin Cilic d. Donald Young 6-4 7-5

World no. 7 Marin Cilic took to the court as the top seed left in the draw. The performance that followed backed up that fact. While Young continued to show growth in his game and mentality, Cilic was just too good today. For starters, he delivered 11 aces, had zero double-faults, and won 85% of 1st serve points, never facing a break point. He is also the only player in the semis who has not dropped a set. In terms of mindset, he remains focused on the next match and while he is not looking ahead in the season, he does believe a top-5 year-end finish is possible.

Asked about adding Jonas Bjorkman to his team, Cilic responded, “Jonas is really a guy that is extremely positive.  I think he brought me a little bit of that stronger mentality on the court, a little bit more aggressive approach.”

The Croat is always searching for ways to improve his game, “Well, it's definitely, I think the transition game and maybe trusting a little bit more in my shots, when I actually hit a good shot to follow it up, and maybe that's part of the movement between the baseline to the service line, to get that a little bit more comfortable in that area.”

“I have been working on that with Jonas, but I feel that there is still some room to improve.  Definitely overall when you are playing during the year, the form is going up and down, the conditions are different.  For example, like today, it's very gusty, I have to adjust, and also tennis is a game of precision.  So, you have to work on your shots constantly and that you feel comfortable.  It's a never-ending story.”

Grigor Dimitrov d. Daniil Medvedev 6-3 3-6 6-3

This match began with distressing moments as Medvedev called for the trainer after tweaking his shoulder during the service warmup. Several minutes passed in what appeared to be an evitable walk-over, but the Russian gave it a go.

As play began, Dimitrov grabbed the 1st break after a 14-point Medvedev service game. He would not let up as he went up 5-0. The will of Medvedev began to stir as he held the next service game delivering 2-aces and he was on the board, 5-1.  He quickly broke serve and followed with another hold to close to 5-3. The tide was turning but a bit too late as Dimitrov finished strong with a love hold taking the set 6-3.

Riding the momentum from the end of set 1, Medvedev went toe-to-toe with Dimitrov as each held serve until Dimitrov was broken after a 16-point game. Medvedev would not lose steam and after two service holds and 5-aces the set was his, 6-3.

The 3rd set was a mixed bag of breaks. Both players served well but it seemed nerve-driven errors were creeping in. With a 4-2 advantage in favor of the Russian, the match appeared to be heading the way of recent losses by Dimitrov on clay against Dominic Thiem [Madrid Open] and Pablo Carreno Busta [French Open]. But, he would not let that happen today. Despite Medvedev’s inability to quit, the Bulgarian advanced in just under 2-hours. He will face Feliciano Lopez on Saturday.

When asked about the evolution of his game over the past few years Dimitrov reflected stating, “I think I definitely played better tennis since 2014.  I think that was the year for me that I was kind of riding the wave and I wasn't really ready, I think, prepared enough to keep on maintaining that.  And I think that first year was – I think it took a lot out of me physically and mentally. Yeah, coming to the year after, I didn't really like find the right way to start well.”

“And I had other changes outside of the court.  So just everything played a big role into I think into my development.  But, yeah, there are tough moments, and, yeah, I think I'm tougher than anything that I had to overcome.”

“So, I'm proud of myself, I'm proud of my team, the people that have been close to me, my family.  This is something that I don't want to forget.”

Feliciano Lopez d. Tomas Berdych 7-6 6-7 7-5

Under graying London skies, the last semi-finalist advanced. With friend and partner Marc Lopez court-side, Feliciano Lopez sealed the deal defeating world no. 14 Tomas Berdych. By the rankings, the match “belonged” to the Czech but we all know rankings do not tell the whole story. 

This clash of two Titan servers persisted for over 2-hours as break chances were few and tie-breaks were a result. The 1st set lasted just under one hour with Lopez winning 96% of 1st serve points. With thin margins, he crossed the finish line just ahead of his opponent.

Berdych would return the favor in the 2nd set winning 92% of his 1st serve points. This time the thin line was with him as he earned the 2nd set in a decisive tie-break 7-6(1)

The crowd held its breath as the 3rd set began. This set followed the same course as the others until the last possible chance to avoid a tie-break arrived. Berdych opened the door with a double-fault to 0-30 but backed it up with a 127 MPH serve. But it was not enough as Lopez took the break to 6-5 and served for the match.  He made quick work in his final service game in just five points to finish 7-5. Statistically, there was “no margin” in the match as both players won exactly 110 of 220 points played.

Lopez reflected on his Stuttgart performance and his confidence going into the semi-finals.

Q. Do you feel a difference, the confidence you got in Stuttgart coming into Queen's?  Does it really make a difference?

“Yeah, it makes a difference. Tennis is 90% mental.  And as soon as you win, this is the only thing that matters at the end.  And, yeah, I'm very happy, you know.  It's been a great week in Stuttgart, so coming to this tournament, 500 on grass, seeing the draw, and, you know, it's always so tough from the very beginning here at Queen's, no?”

He continued, “I lost some first rounds in the past against players like Cilic or Anderson, top 10 players or top 20 players from the very beginning.  So, I think I was a lot of confident, no, coming to Queen's after reaching the finals there.

And, the fact that I beat Wawrinka in the first round was also very important for me.  It was a tough round, but after I beat him, my confidence went also up again, and second and third round I think I played – I can say I played some of my best tennis.”

Saturday semifinal matches begin at 1:15 pm London time with Muller-Cilic followed by Dimitrov-Lopez and closing with the doubles final of Jamie Murray-Bruno Soares against Cilic-Matkowski. Yes, Cilic has a chance to sweep at Queens.