Canadian Open 2022: Marin Cilic vs Tommy Paul preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (13) Marin Cilic vs Tommy Paul
Date: August 10, 2022
Tournament: 2022 Canadian Open
Round: Third round (Round of 16)
Venue: Montreal, Canada
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Surface: Hard
Prize money: $5,926,545
Match timing: Not before 2:30 pm ET, 6:30 pm GMT and 12 am IST
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - Sportsnet, TVA Sports | UK - Amazon Prime Video | India - Sports 18
Marin Cilic vs Tommy Paul preview
Marin Cilic and Tommy Paul came through contrasting wins in their respective second-round matches to book a pre-quarterfinal showdown against each other at the 2022 Canadian Open.
@cilic_marin has become just the 14th man in the Open Era to record 350 career wins on hard courts after beating Karen Khachanov, 6-3, 6-2, at the @OBNmontreal today.
HARD-COURT WIN #350! 🎉
ðŸ‡ðŸ‡· @cilic_marin has become just the 14th man in the Open Era to record 350 career wins on hard courts after beating Karen Khachanov, 6-3, 6-2, at the @OBNmontreal today.
He's just the 5th active man to do it after Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray. 💥
Cilic, the 13th seed, had an easier outing out of the two players in the last match. Having come into the tournament with no match practice on the hardcourts, the Croatian has shown astonishingly little rust. He was a comfortable winner over Karen Khachanov, beating the Russian 6-3, 6-2.
The serve played a big part in Cilic's win over Khachanov and he will now look to carry the winning momentum deeper into the tournament.
Paul, meanwhile, scored one of the biggest wins of his career by taking out second seed Carlos Alcaraz in his second-round encounter. The American did it the hard way, coming back after dropping the opening set in a tiebreaker to prevail in a three-set marathon.
The win over Alacraz is already Paul's fifth — and by far the biggest — at this year's US Open swing. If he can keep up the level heading into Thursday, Paul could well ask a few questions of Cilic.
Marin Cilic vs Tommy Paul head-to-head
Marin Cilic leads Tommy Paul in their current head-to-head 2-0, having beaten his opponent most recently at the Adelaide International earlier this year in a three-set contest.
Marin Cilic vs Tommy Paul odds
(All odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Marin Cilic vs Tommy Paul prediction
Cilic is enjoying a bit of a resurgence in 2022, having reached his first Grand Slam semifinal in over four years before returning to the top of the world rankings.
When playing at his best, his big serve and powerful groundstrokes can prove difficult to handle. During his second-round encounter against Khachanov, his serve won him quite a few cheap points — he also won a whopping 85% of all first serve points. The same will be key against Paul.
The American enjoys playing on hardcourts as his all-court is best suited for the surface. While he does not possess the same level of raw power, his superior movement and willingness to come forward and mix his shots make him a threat — as evident in his sensational win over Alcaraz.
That said, Paul will have to find a way to neutralize Cilic's first serve and make inroads into his opponent's service games consistently enough. Unless he can do that, Cilic is likely to power his way through into the quarters.
Pick: Cilic to win in three sets