Andy Murray moved a step closer to a record fifth Queen's Club title as the defending champion battled into the final with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 victory over Marin Cilic on Saturday. Murray was pushed hard by Cilic but eventually subdued the Croatian in a tense two-hour semi-final and will face Milos Raonic for the trophy on Sunday after the Canadian third seed defeated Australia's Bernard Tomic 6-4, 6-4.
The 29-year-old Scot's primary aim is to hone his grass-court game with Wimbledon starting in just over a week, but he would also relish passing John McEnroe, Andy Roddick, Lleyton Hewitt, Roy Emerson and Boris Becker as the sole owner of the most Queen's crowns. "There have been many great players over the years who have played here so if I can do better than them and win a fifth title, then it is a good sign, but I'm certainly not taking anything for granted," Murray said.
Reaching his fifth final of the year will be hugely encouraging for Murray in the week he reunited with coach Ivan Lendl, two years after they originally parted ways. The two-time Grand Slam champion looks to have got his painful French Open final loss to Novak Djokovic out of his system as he prepares for his latest attempt to emulate his historic 2013 Wimbledon triumph.
"Marin plays extremely well on the grass so I knew I had to play really well. There were some really good points," Murray said. "In the third set the intensity got raised and I played some good shots at the end. "Hopefully I can serve like that again in the final. It's so important on this surface."
After playing British opponents in the previous two rounds, Murray had been looking forward to enjoying the complete backing of the crowd once again and he didn't take long to get them cheering. He landed the first blow with a powerful crosscourt forehand that left Cilic reeling and secured a break in the third game. Murray had won 10 of his previous 12 meetings with Cilic, including a tight three-setter in the 2013 Queen's final that ended the 2012 champion's bid to retain the title.
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