Top seed Marin Cilic had to withdraw from Tata Open Maharashtra citing a knee injury he suffered in the warm-up before his scheduled quarterfinals on Thursday.
“Very sorry that I couldn’t come out again today to compete,” Cilic said in a statement released by the organisers.
“Today during the warm-up I injured my knee and unfortunately it didn’t get better until I was about to go out on the court. Thanks to the fans for the great support this week, it was fantastic. I’m looking forward to return to India in the future to compete over here again.”
Cilic had made his way into the singles quarterfinals at the fifth edition of the Pune-based ATP event after beating Roberto Carballes Baena 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 in an exciting contest at the Balewadi Stadium on Wednesday.
The 2014 US Open champion Cilic, who received a bye in the opening round, had made a dominating start in the match and took the first set without breaking a sweat. However the 29-year-old Spanish player took a 5-2 lead before winning the second set comfortably to take the match into the decider.
The former World No 3 Croatian took an early 3-0 lead and did not let the momentum slip away before clinching the set as well as the match easily in the end.
He was to face Dutch player Tallon Griekspoor in the quarterfinals on Thursday. The World No 95 Griekspoor, who had beaten Marco Cecchinato 6-4, 6-4 in the second round, now receives a bye into the semifinals.
More to follow
