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Isner: Čilić's biggest advantage is his cool-bloodedness

Čilić had to save two tied break-balls in the fifth set, a few minutes before the win. Berankis surprised him, but Čilić was happy with his game in the end. He beat Isner in all four matches they played so far, and the American never passed the third round of Wimbledon

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Quality decided in the end, but it was tight. Even though Čilić was playing pretty well, Berankis showed all his potential. That's often the case when a talented player has nothing to lose, and he gets relaxed and plays the best he can. Berankis did that. He could've even won. He missed two break-balls in the final moments, and lost the match a few minutes afterwards.

There were only two breaks in the first three sets, and Čilić was leading 2-1, but he lost his serve at the beginning of the fourth set. And then another one, so soon enough, Berankis won the deciding set. Čilić then got the first break-balls, two in the second game, but he had to save himself from the same situation in the following two games. Those missed chances influenced Berankis who never justified his potential completely. He missed two break-balls, and then lost the serve to stay in the match.

- It was a really good match on both sides. Berankis surprised me with his game. He was really uncomfortable with his aggressiveness, and he didn't make many mistakes. He played fast, and threatened all the time. I have to say I pulled through. The serve helped again, and now I have to work on playing even better, even though this wasn't bad either - Čilić was happy, complimenting his opponent, so he didn't even complain about the conditions:

- It was really hot, the warmest day in Wimbledon, but it wasn't that tough on the court. The grass doesn't reflect heat like other courts, so it wasn't a problem to play. Besides, I played the central court and that's always a pleasure, regardless of the weather.

Marin scored 28 aces, and won 80% first serve points. Decent numbers, but Berankis had 11 break-balls. Berankis's return is much better than Isner's, but the Croat still has something to worry about. If nothing else, he knows exactly what to expect:

- I expect a long and mentally difficult match. We know everything about him, how he's playing. There won't be many chances on the return so I have to be fresh physically and mentally. It's important to continue with the good serve and patiently wait for the return chances. 

Isner finished his job in straight sets. Even though his opponent played a lot of matches, and was successful on the grass this season, the serve did most of the job again, as did his reputation. He did create a pleasant surprise in the first set. There was no typical return struggle, but he won four games in a row to lead the sets. In the second set, Isner missed a break-advantage, but saved three tied set-balls. As expected, there was no coming back for the Australian. Isner finished the job with a break in the third set.

So, Isner scored 23 aces in three sets, and won 79% first serve points. He lost his serve, but also made four breaks, which is above average when it comes to his return. Even though these conditions are good for Isner, he never passed the third round here:

- I could have done more in the last years in Wimbledon, but I had bad luck. One year I had knee issues, the second one I played the marathon against Mahut, and last season, I faced Lopez early on, he's one of the most dangerous players in these conditions - Isner commented on his Wimbledon results, but he's got weak results against Čilić, as well:

- I think the thing he does the best, in my opinion, he's always calm and composed on the court. He's never getting angry and himself out there. He just stays the path and it's paid very big dividends for him in his career, especially last year at the US Open. My opinion, that's what he does best, along with his serve and groundstrokes. He's a cool customer out there.

To beat Isner, Čilić definitely has to keep his blood cold, but he obviously knows what to do against one of the best servers of the tour. He won all four matches played against Isner, the last three without losing his serve. He beat him in Boodles a few years ago, in a popular exhibition before Wimbledon. Both will have a tough job now, but the American is the one who has to take two steps forward to get to the fourth round of Wimbledon, something he's never done before. To beat Čilić and finally go pass the third round.