Goffin beats Cilic, to meet Raonic next

A day after ousting third seed Stan Wawrinka, Goffin battled through to his first Masters 1000 semi-final where he will meet Canadian Milos Raonic, a 7-5 6-3 victor over Frenchman Gael Monfils. Goffin saved 11 of 12 break points against tall Croatian Cilic before sealing the win in just over an hour-and-a-half and declared himself ready to take on another big server. 

“It’s good that in tennis you can find some solution against big players like Marin or Milos or (John) Isner,” the 25-year-old told reporters. “Maybe I’m quicker. I think I can take the ball earlier. I have other weapons. That’s why tennis is a nice sport. “I’m really happy with the way I managed the important points ... it was the key of the match, to win the first set, and to be more relaxed in the second.” 

After being forced to fighting off four set points in the opening stanza, Goffin broke 10th seed Cilic’s serve twice in the second set. “I was on my baseline and I was making him run a lot,” said the Belgian, who has won two ATP titles. “When I had the opportunity on his second serve, I was really aggressive, so that’s why it was a better second set.” Raonic pounded out 10 aces to reach the semi-finals at Indian Wells for the second straight year.