MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — The Latest on Friday at the Australian Open (all times local):
12:57 a.m.
Marin Cilic overcame a pair of match points — including one double-faulted away by Fernando Verdasco — and a two-set deficit for a 4-6, 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (8), 6-3 victory in the Australian Open's third round.
The No. 6-seeded Cilic, last year's runner-up at Melbourne Park and the 2014 U.S. Open champion, saved a match point at 7-6 in the fourth-set tiebreaker with a service winner, then watched as Verdasco gave away another chance to win at 8-7 by failing to put a serve in play. Cilic then grabbed a 3-0 lead in the fifth set and held on to complete the comeback.
It's the seventh time in Cilic's career that he has won a match after dropping the opening two sets. He also did it in the third round of the previous Grand Slam tournament — against Alex de Minaur at the U.S. Open in September.
Cilic now faces No. 22 Roberto Bautista-Agut, who eliminated No. 10 Karen Khachanov 6-4, 7-5, 6-4.
