Tel Aviv Open 2022: Marin Cilic vs Constant Lestienne preview head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (2) Marin Cilic vs Constant Lestienne
Date: October 1, 2022
Tournament: Tel Aviv Open 2022.
Round: Semifinals.
Venue: Tel Aviv, Israel.
Category: ATP 250.
Surface: Hard.
Prize money: €949,475.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - TSN | Australia - beIN Sports.
Marin Cilic vs Constant Lestienne preview
Second seed Marin Cilic will be up against Constant Lestienne in the semifinals of the Tel Aviv Open on Saturday.
The Croat received a bye to the second round of the tournament by virtue of being one of the top four seeds. Here, he faced Dominic Thiem, who took the opening set via a tiebreak.
However, Cilic bounced back to win the next two sets to win 6-7(6), 6-2, 6-4 to book his place in the next round. This was his very first victory over Thiem.
Cilic was scheduled to play Liam Broady in the quarterfinals but the Brit withdrew from the match, thus giving the World No. 16 a walkover to the semifinals.
Quite a day for the Brits.
- Norrie withdrew before his QF in Seoul (Brooksby into the SFs)
- Broady withdrew before his QF in Tel Aviv (Cilic into the SFs)
Lestienne has had a dream of a tournament so far in Tel Aviv. The Frenchman beat his compatriot Adrian Mannarino 7-6(2), 6-4 in the first round before beating Emil Ruusuvuori 6-4, 6-2 to set up a quarterfinal clash against fourth seed Maxime Cressy.
The big-serving American took the opening set 7-6(4) but Lestienne bounced back to take the second 6-3 and force the match into a decider. The final set was tightly-contested and went into a tiebreak. Lestienne won it 7-3 to book his place in the semifinals of the Tel Aviv Open.
Marin Cilic VS Liam Broady 
DAY 6. Results
✅ Marin Cilic VS Liam Broady
✅ Constant Lestienne VS Maxime Cressy 6:7, 6:3, 7:6
✅ Roman Safiullin VS Arthur Rinderknech 6:4, 6:1
#tawo #atp250 #atptour #telavivopen https://t.co/AMzr2fqTWu
Marin Cilic vs Constant Lestienne head-to-head
The head-to-head between Cilic and Lestienne is 0-0 as they have never locked horns before.
Marin Cilic vs Constant Lestienne odds
Odds will be updated when available.
Marin Cilic vs Constant Lestienne prediction
Cilic had a walkover in the semifinals while Lestienne had to fight off Cressy in drawn-out three set clash. The Croat will enter the match fresher than his opponent and will be heavily favored to win.
Cilic's serve is a big weapon, not to forget his powerful groundstrokes. The Croat has been in excellent form this season and has the weapons to hurt the Frenchman.
Lestienne served brilliantly against Cressy, winning 65 out of 77 points on his first serve while also serving nine aces. However, he also served 10 double-faults and cannot afford to have that many against a more superior opponent like Cilic.
Lestienne is having a purple patch and while him winning should not be ruled out, Cilic's experience and recent form makes it very hard to see him not coming out on top.
Pick: Cilic to win in straight sets.