Fourteenth seed Marin Cilic needed almost four hours to end the challenge of prodigious young Australian Bernard Tomic in the early hours of Thursday morning.

On this evidence Tomic, who is still just seventeen, has a very bright future, working his illustrious opponent all over the court. He had his chances to create a huge upset, with three break points in the fifth. 

However the  Croatian player struck back, eventually taking the match 6-7(6) 6-3 4-6 6-2 6-4.

Surprisingly, Cilic made a very nervous start in front of a crowd in which almost all were rooting for Tomic. Neither player could hold serve and as the set drew on it was Tomic who had all the chances. However it was in the tiebreak when he made his move, snatching it 8-6 to the delight of the Rod Laver Arena crowd.

Cilic’s serve was keeping him in the match and he began to establish a formidable rhythm. He broke Tomic’s service game twice and took the second set 6-3.
Tomic worked his way back into the match in the third with his variety of slices and spins, and when it claimed it 6-4 there was the possibility of an upset.

However Cilic proved the stronger as the match went on, using his experience to claim the final two sets and set up an encounter with Swiss No.2 Stanislas Wawrinka in the third round.

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