The Croat, the tournament's second seed, gave up just eight points and converted 2-of-6 break-point opportunities in the 84-minute match. That earned him a chance to successfully defend his 2009 title Sunday against third-seeded Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland.
Cilic is 3-2 in career finals.
Wawrinka won a much more difficult match, beating Israel's Dudi Sela 6-4, 2-6, 7-5.
"Obviously you can tell by the score that it was a really tough match," Wawrinka said. "I expected it to be difficult."
Sunday's Cilic-Wawrinka winner takes home a $68,450 champion's check.
Wawrinka is 4-0 lifetime against Cilic.
Copyright 2010 by United Press International.
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