Fognini, Robredo, Cilic reach semis in Umag
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Umag, Croatia (SportsNetwork.com) - Top-seeded 2013 runner-up Fabio Fognini, reigning champion Tommy Robredo and heavy crowd favorite and former titlist Marin Cilic secured semifinal berths at the Croatia Open tennis event.
The fiery Italian Fognini held off 17-year-old Croatian wild card Borna Coric 5-7, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 in 2 hours, 42 minutes in Friday's quarterfinal nightcap.
The promising Coric was last year's U.S. Open boys' champion.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fognini, who lost to Robredo in last year's Umag finale, will meet Uruguay's Pablo Cuevas in Saturday's semifinals.
The second-seeded Robredo rolled past fellow Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta 6-1, 6-4, while the third-seeded Croat Cilic swatted 10 aces in crushing fifth- seeded Czech slugger Lukas Rosol 6-0, 6-2 in 62 minutes on the red clay at ITC Stella Maris.
Cilic captured his home event in 2012 and was a runner-up here the year before that.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The former top-10 stars Robredo and Cilic will do battle in Saturday's other semi.
Another quarterfinal saw the qualifier Cuevas outlast Russian Teymuraz Gabashvili 6-3, 4-6, 6-2. The in-form Cuevas captured his first-ever ATP title two weeks ago in Bastad, Sweden.
The 2014 Croatia Open titlist will collect $105,000.