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Nishikori, Cilic advance to Swiss Indoors final

Posted October 29, 2016 7:00 am

The Associated Press

Japan's Kei Nishikori returns a ball to Luxembourg's Gilles Muller during their semifinal match at the Swiss Indoors tennis tournament at the St. Jakobshalle in Basel, Switzerland, Saturday, Oct. 29, 2016. (Georgios Kefalas/Keystone via AP) The Associated Press

BASEL, Switzerland (AP) - Kei Nishikori saved a match point with a perfect topspin lob and fought back to beat Gilles Muller 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-3 in the Swiss Indoors semifinals on Saturday.

Fourth-seeded Marin Cilic also trailed by a set before winning 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 against qualifier Mischa Zverev of Germany.

The title match on Sunday is a repeat of the 2014 U.S. Open final which Cilic won in three straight sets.

Nishikori, the No. 5-ranked Japanese, faced an upset loss to the 37th-ranked Muller, a left-hander from Luxembourg, when trailing 4-5, 30-40 in the second set.

Nishikori went behind the baseline to retrieve Muller's backhand volley approach shot and lifted a forehand lob.

"My arm was shaking, it was match point for him," said Nishikori, who saved a second match point soon after.

The third-seeded Nishikori dominated the second-set tiebreaker and completed the win in 2 hours, 15 minutes.

Nishikori, who lost the 2011 Basel title match to Roger Federer, is seeking his second title of a season which has brought a career-best 56 wins.

Cilic lifted himself into the eighth and last qualifying spot for the ATP Tour Finals next month by reaching the Basel final.

The 12th-ranked Croat dropped serve for the first time this week in losing the opening set to Zverev, who ousted U.S. Open champion Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland in a long quarterfinal on Friday.

In the second set, Cilic saved three break points for Zverev when serving at 4-4, then took his first break chance of the match to clinch the set.

Japan's Kei Nishikori reacts during his semifinal match against Luxembourg's Gilles Muller at the Swiss Indoors tennis tournament at the St. Jakobshalle in Basel, Switzerland, Saturday, Oct. 29, 2016. (Georgios Kefalas/Keystone via AP) The Associated Press

Luxembourg's Gilles Muller reacts during his semifinal match against Japan's Kei Nishikori at the Swiss Indoors tennis tournament at the St. Jakobshalle in Basel, Switzerland, Saturday, Oct. 29, 2016. (Georgios Kefalas/Keystone via AP) The Associated Press

Luxembourg's Gilles Muller returns a ball to Japan's Kei Nishikori during their semi final match at the Swiss Indoors tennis tournament at the St. Jakobshalle in Basel, Switzerland, Saturday, Oct. 29, 2016. (Georgios Kefalas/Keystone via AP) The Associated Press

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