French Open 2022: Casper Ruud vs Marin Cilic preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick | Roland Garros
Match Details
Fixture: (8) Casper Ruud vs (20) Marin Cilic
Tournament: French Open 2022.
Date: June 3, 2022.
Round: Semifinals.
Venue: Paris, France.
Category: Grand Slam.
Surface: Outdoor clay.
Prize money: €21,256,800.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel, NBC Sports and Peacock TV | Canada - TSN | UK - Eurosport | India - Sony Ten, Sony Six and Sony LIV
Casper Ruud vs Marin Cilic preview
Eighth seed Casper Ruud will take on 20th seed Marin Cilic in the semifinals of the French Open on Friday.
The Norwegian has two titles to his name this season and reached his maiden Masters 1000 final in Miami.
Ruud started his French Open campaign by beating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in four sets in what turned out to be the final match of the Frenchman's fabulous career. The 23-year-old then beat Emil Ruusuvuori in straight sets to set up a third-round showdown with 32nd seed Lorenzo Sonego.
Ruud survived a scare against the Italian, winning in five sets to reach the last 16, where he defeated 12th seed Hubert Hurkacz 6-2, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.
In his first Grand Slam quarterfinal on Wednesday, the Norwegian faced Denmark's Holger Rune in a clash of the Nordics. Ruud came out on top in four sets to reach his maiden Grand Slam semifinal.
23yo Casper Ruud beats 19yo Holger Rune 6-1, 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-3 to reach his first Grand Slam semifinal at #RolandGarros.
He will face Marin Cilic on Friday. https://t.co/Tn7nWpzYjd
Before the French Open, Cilic had won only 13 out of 24 matches this season with semifinal runs at both the ATP 250 tournaments in Adelaide.
The 33-year-old began his Roland Garros challenge by trouncing Hungary's Attila Balazs 6-0, 6-1, 6-2. He then came back from a set down to defeat another Hungarian in Marton Fucsovics to reach the third round.
Cilic then triumphed over the experienced Gilles Simon in what was the latter's last match at the French Open. The Croat followed it up with a breezy win over World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev to reach the quarterfinals.
The former US Open champion then won a grueling five-set encounter against seventh seed Andrey Rublev to reach the semifinals of the French Open for the first time in his career.
The resurgence continues 📈
@cilic_marin advances to his first #RolandGarros semi-final, defeating Andrey Rublev 7-5, 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6[10-2]. https://t.co/jxfK11qzJI
Casper Ruud vs Marin Cilic head-to-head
Ruud has a flawless 2-0 record in the head-to-head against Cilic, having won both their meetings so far.
The Norwegian beat Cilic 6-2, 7-6(6) in their first encounter, which came in the third round of the Italian Open in 2020. Ruud also defeated the Croat 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in last year's Canadian Open.
Casper Ruud vs Marin Cilic odds
All odds sourced from Oddschecker.
Casper Ruud vs Marin Cilic prediction
Considering Ruud's form and his recent results on clay, he will be considered the favorite to win the match. Seven out of the Norwegian's eight career titles have come on the red dirt.
Cilic, however, has been a bit of a giant killer in the French Open this year, having beaten two top-10 players in Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev. Hence, the lanky Croat cannot be written off.
Ruud is an aggressive baseliner and his topspin-heavy forehand will come in handy against Cilic.
Cilic's serve has always been his trump card and the 33 aces he fired against Rublev show that the shot is in good working order. The Croat's cross-court forehands have been the main difference-maker for him this fortnight.
Both players have been in good form in the tournament so far and the match promises to be a tightly-contested one. While Cilic can put in a tough fight, Ruud's claycourt prowess might just help him cross the finish line.
Pick: Casper Ruud to win in five sets.