Acapulco 2021: Marin Cilic vs Sebastian Korda preview, head-to-head & prediction | Abierto Mexicano Telcel
Match details
Fixture: Marin Cilic vs Sebastian Korda
Date: 15 March 2021
Tournament: Abierto Mexicano Telcel 2021
Round: First round (Round of 32)
Venue: Acapulco, Mexico
Category: ATP 500
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Prize money: $1,053,560
Match timing: Not before 10 pm local time, 9.30 am IST
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel
Marin Cilic vs Sebastian Korda preview
World No. 43 Marin Cilic takes on wildcard Sebastian Korda in the first round of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel.
Cilic, a former World No. 3, has posted a 2-3 win-loss record this season. After back-to-back opening-round losses at the Murray River Open and Australian Open, the 32-year-old reached the semis in Singapore recently.
While Cilic is an ATP veteran, his opponent, the 20-year-old Korda, hasn't yet played a full season on the tour.
Korda was, in fact, ranked outside the top 200 before the 2020 French Open. But with his fourth-round showing in Paris, followed by two ATP Challenger titles and the Delray Beach final, the American is now sitting pretty at a career-high No. 92.
Korda decided to skip the Australian summer hardcourt events, but is now back to playing every other week. At his most recent event, at Montpellier, Korda defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to reach the second round.
Marin Cilic vs Sebastian Korda head-to-head
Marin Cilic and Sebastian Korda have never played each other on the ATP tour, and so their official head-to-head is tied at 0-0.
Marin Cilic vs Sebastian Korda prediction
Marin Cilic, who has 18 ATP titles - including a Grand Slam - under his belt, still believes he has some good tennis left in him.
"I had some incredible years during my career, Cilic said in Singapore. "But still as a player I feel there is space for development, I feel that I can still improve on my serve, my shots or my movement."
"Even if it's just 1 per cent that I can improve, I feel there is some space, so that's my goal," he added. "I feel there is still some great improvements left in me, and I'm looking forward to the next four or five years."
When his serve and groundstrokes are on, the Croat can compete with the best in the game. He hasn't been able to find his best tennis lately, but he would be hoping to do just that in Acapulco.
Sebastian Korda, meanwhile, is among the most promising Next Gen talents right now. The American has all the fundamentals - a good serve, powerful groundstrokes, strong court coverage and a good team around him - for a successful pro career.
Both Cilic and Korda will be looking to score a win and earn a potential second-round clash against either Tennys Sandgren or No. 7 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime. But Korda's youthful exuberance might just be able to overcome Cilic's experience in this first round match.
Prediction: Sebastian Korda to win in three sets.