Rome May 19 (IANS) Fifth-ranked Croatian Marin Cilic rolled past Spain s Pablo Carreño Busta 6-3 6-3 to reach the semi-finals of the Italian Open tennis tournament and book his first-ever berth in the final four of a clay-court ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event.
The 2014 US Open champion a big server whose greatest success has come on hard and grass courts needed just an hour and five minutes to clinch his third win over the 11th-ranked Spaniard in as many career matches reports Efe news agency.
The 29-year-old Cilic won the contest in straight-forward fashion not facing a single break point on serve and going three-for-three on his break-point chances.
"I m feeling great (after reaching) my first semi-final on clay at a Masters 1000 event " Cilic said.
"I was waiting many years for it to happen so it s definitely a happy moment for sure."
Cilic who is eyeing a second Masters 1000 title following his 2016 Cincinnati Masters triumph will next take on either German defending champion and world No. 3 Alexander Zverev or 10th-ranked Belgian David Goffin.
Nearly all of tennis top men s and women s players are in Rome to tune their games for the year s biggest clay-court tournament the French Open which gets under way on May 27.

--IANS ajb/vm