Marin Cilic defeats John Isner to extend the US-Croatia tie

Jack Sock rallied to stun Marin Cilic 4-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 and put the United States on the road to a 2-0 lead over Croatia in their Davis Cup World Group quarter-final tie.

The tie will now go down to the final day, with Cilic to try and keep the matchup alive against Isner in Sunday’s reverse singles, while Sock and Coric could potentially contest the decisive fifth rubber. Sock won the last four points of the final game, claiming the 3-hour, 13-minute match when Cilic hit his final shot into the net.

“The conditions here are not too hard; the weather, not too humid and not too demanding”, Cilic said.

Fognini dropped just seven games in thrashing Juan Monaco, before coming from two sets down alongside Paolo Lorenzi to force Juan Martin Del Potro – on his Davis Cup return – and Guido Pella into a decider. “But I pretty much feel fine”.

The Croatians were on the ropes after singles defeats for Cilic and Borna Coric on Friday. If the United States advances, it will play host to the semifinals at a site to be determined.

“I played probably the best match in my life in doubles, especially at this kind of occasion”, Cilic told Tennis Channel. As with the first two sets, Croatia got an insurance break, Cilic stinging a forehand, Mike Bryan helpless to do anything with it. The Bryans were far from done and they got one of the breaks back when Cilic misfired on a backhand. Ivan and I didn’t play together for a long time (since the start of February 2013 actually) but we were aware that we can rely on our quality and that we should have a good chance if we make the things on the court right. The 31-year-old Isner, No. 16 in the world and playing in his 20th career Davis Cup match, broke Coric once in each set. Once Sock got his serve straightened out, the USA raced to a 2-0 lead over Croatia in the best-of-five quarterfinal tie. “Haven’t played a ton of five-setters, haven’t come back from two-down. We just didn’t do it”.

“I was using that as a little bit of a carrot to keep Jack in there”, Courier said. Wimbledon left a small mark on me.

The United States is trying to break a nine-year Davis Cup title drought.

Cilic, the 2014 U.S. Open champion and current world No. 12, was tough early on, breaking Sock’s serve late in the first two sets to take a 2-0 lead. “We have a lot of work ahead of us, but we’re confident”. The U.S. won in 2007 when it beat Russian Federation 4-1 in Portland. Croatia claimed its only Davis Cup title in 2005.