Marin Cilic gave Croatia a stranglehold over the United States as he beat Frances Tiafoe 6-1, 6-3, 7-6(5) to put the host 2-0 ahead in their Davis Cup semifinal here on Friday.
Cilic overwhelmed the American youngster in the opening two sets but was made to work harder in the third as Tiafoe finally shook off his debut nerves.
The match was umpired by Portugal’s Carlos Ramos — the official accused of sexism by American Serena Williams after docking her a game during a tumultuous U.S. Open final.
Cilic’s victory made him Croatia’s most successful Davis Cup player, moving him past the 36 rubbers won by Ivan Ljubicic.
Earlier, Borna Coric gave Croatia a flying start by defeating Steve Johnson 6-4, 7-6(4), 6-3.
The 21-year-old Coric had lost his only previous encounter with the U.S. No. 3 at Roland Garros but on Zadar’s clay courts drew first blood for the host against Johnson, who was leading his country in the absence of John Isner and Jack Sock.
Remarkable debut
In the other semifinal, Benoit Paire made a remarkable Davis Cup debut for France, outplaying Spain’s Pablo Carreno-Busta 7-5, 6-1, 6-0 in the opening rubber at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy.
Paire had never been selected for his country before, admitting himself that his explosive, erratic performances on court meant he could previously never properly be trusted.
Yet he has grown into a much more reliable and consistent performer in 2018 which prompted the champion’s captain Yannick Noah to select him for his first tie at the unlikely age of 29.