AEGON Championships 2017: Marin Cilic, Petra Kvitova Book Finals Spots

Marin Cilic had to battle hard to work his way past Gilles Muller and into the final of the 2017 AEGON Championships, beating the Luxembourg native in three sets on Saturday.

Petra Kvitova continued her impressive return from injury by beating Lucie Safarova, and Garbine Mugurza was upset by Ashleigh Barty. Feliciano Lopez and Grigor Dimitrov will contest the second semi-final in the men's draw.

Recap

Muller came into the semi-finals in excellent form and flashed his considerable talent against Cilic at times, especially in the second set. While the Croatian impressed with his usual brand of attacking tennis, his opponent showed his defensive chops, per the tournament's official Twitter account:

The two kept things very close until the seventh game of the final set, when Muller seemed to tire. Cilic increased the pace and grabbed momentum with a few well-placed winners before cruising to the finish line.

As shared by Ben Rothenberg of the New York Times, both women's finalists make for feel-good stories:

Kvitova has only just returned from injury after having her left hand severely damaged by a knife-wielding man who broke in to her apartment, but in her second event back on tour, she has already reached a final. Safarova would have hoped to make things more difficult, but she was clearly bothered by a leg injury and retired early in the second set.

The other semi-final proved far more entertaining. Muguruza was the clear favourite after a strong showing in the first set, but little-known Barty hit back in the second and took advantage of every mistake to build a huge lead in the third.

Mugurza wasn't finished, and she fought her way back to a 5-3 score in the final set before her 21-year-old opponent finished the job.

Barty told reporters she's already looking forward to the final, via WTA Insider:

It will be the second meeting between Barty and Kvitova after their 2012 clash in Paris. The two will go head-to-head on Sunday.