Marin Cilic makes Queen's final with win over Gilles Muller

The Croatian is the highest-ranked player left in the draw after the exits of Andy Murray, Stan Wawrinka and Milos Raonic, but he needed three sets to get past 14th seed Muller, 6-3 5-7 6-4.

Cilic, who is also competing in the doubles at Queen's, took the first set but, in a rain-affected match, lost his rhythm, allowing Muller to strike back. Cilic then secured a vital break at 3-3 in the third set.

"Today's match was a really high level," world number seven Cilic, coached by former grasscourt specialist Jonas Bjorkman, said on Queen's Club's centre court.

"I played really well throughout and Gilles was pushing me to the limits. I've felt really good on serve all week and today I was mixing it up and playing smart."

Neither player had surrendered serve en route to the last four so it was a surprise when Cilic broke left-hander Muller in the fifth game before wrapping up the opening set quickly.

Cilic failed to convert his opportunities in the second set, however, and one lapse of concentration at 5-6 blotted his copybook to allow Muller to snatch the second set.

It was nothing more than an inconvenience though as Croatian Cilic, also in doubles semi-final action later, broke in the seventh game of the decider and powered home to victory, sealing it with a second-serve ace on match point.

Defeat ended 34-year-old Muller's grasscourt winning streak on seven but the Luxembourg player will head to Wimbledon in high spirits after another impressive week on the lawns, following his title run in Den Bosch.

Cilic will face either Grigor Dimitrov or Feliciano Lopez in the final.

"Both Grigor and Feliciano are amazing players on grass," Cilic told Eurosport.