Tel Aviv Open 2022: Marin Cilic vs Dominic Thiem preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (2) Marin Cilic vs (WC) Dominic Thiem.
Tournament: Tel Aviv Open 2022.
Round: Second round (Round of 16).
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 Dominic Thiem preview
In a clash between the former US Open champions, 2014 winner Marin Cilic will take on 2020 winner Dominic Thiem in the second round of the 2022 Tel Aviv Open.
Cilic started the year by making a couple of semifinals in the lead-up to the Australian Open. In the season's first Major, he reached the fourth round, losing to Felix Auger-Aliassime. He had some decent results after that, but the most significant one was his last-four finish at the French Open. He became just the fifth active player to reach at least the semifinals at all four Grand Slams.
Cilic started the grass swing by reaching the semifinals of the Queen's Club Championships. Unfortunately, he was forced to withdraw from Wimbledon after testing positive for COVID-19. Upon his return to the tour, he made it to the third round of the Masters events in Canada and Cincinnati.
Cilic made it to the fourth round of the US Open, where he lost to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz in five sets. As the second seed, he received a bye into the second round in Tel Aviv.
Dominic Thiem commenced his run in Tel Aviv against Laslo Djere in the first round. The Austrian trailed 3-1 in the opening set, but fought back to get back on serve. However, Djere got the upper hand in the end as he claimed the last three games of the set to clinch the opener.
Thiem bagged an early break in the second set to lead 3-1, but his opponent soon leveled the score. The set eventually went into a tie-break, with the 2020 US Open champion coming out on top to force a decider.
Thiem needed six break points, but managed to secure an early break in the final set to go 3-1 up. Djere fought hard to get back into the match, but to no avail. The Austrian ended up winning the match 5-7, 7-6(3), 6-4.
Marin Cilic vs Dominic Thiem head-to-head
The two have faced each other four times before, with Thiem having a perfect 4-0 winning record against Cilic. He won their previous encounter at the 2020 French Open in straight sets.
Marin Cilic vs Dominic Thiem odds
(All odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Marin Cilic vs Dominic Thiem prediction
While Thiem has been notching up a few wins from time to time, he's still far from his best. This will be a great opportunity for Cilic to score his first win over the Austrian.
Thiem struggled a bit against Djere in the first round. While he managed to get over the finish line, it was more due to his patience in rallies rather than a proactive approach.
Thiem has found it tough to cope against big servers off late. Just last week, he was up against Hubert Hurkacz at the Moselle Open and wasn't that great during return games. Cilic also possesses a big serve. Unless Thiem is able to consistently put pressure on the Croat's serve, he will find it hard to claim victory.
Thiem's game is rather inconsistent at the moment and he commits quite a few errors, which often puts him on the backfoot. Cilic has been in decent form throughout the year and shouldn't face too many issues getting past the Austrian.
Pick: Marin Cilic to win in straight sets.