As one of the top-ranked guys in the sport (no. 6), Marin Cilic had the usual path to a major tournament’s crucial stages. He trounced the competition in the early rounds, and although he got tested in the Round of 64 and 32, he came away with a victory as expected – 7-6(2), 6-4, 7-5 against Florian Mayer and 6-4, 7-6(3), 6-4 against Steve Johnson.
Tomorrow should be a whole new challenge. It is sure to be an intriguing match since it will be someone who he has some familiarity with. He has locked horns with Roberto Bautista Agut thrice in his career – one each in the last three years – and won the first two in straight sets.
Cilic has won seven of his last eight and he’s 27-9 on grass-held matches since 2014. He also has one title on grass (2012 Queen’s Club Championship) and is also just weeks removed from falling just short of his bid for a second Queen’s title, where he bowed to Feliciano Lopez in a hard-fought 4-6, 7-6(2), 7-6(8) match.
The 18th-ranked Roberto Bautista Agut is coming in hot. He, too, will head to the matchup having won seven of his last eight, which includes his interesting run in this Wimbys – he dusted off Andreas Haider-Maurer, ran into some unexpeced trouble with Peter Gojowczyk, and then shocked the world of tennis with his stunning upset of Kei Nishikori this past round.
What makes Bautista Agut an even more appealing pick is that he is the most recent winner in the career head-to-head with Cilic, so him having the ability to edge out the top 10-ranked Serbian is well-established. It’s unlike and better than the situation he came in in the previous stage, where he was basically seen as an afterthought since he was 0-4 versus Nishikori prior to the match.
Bautista Agut is 27-11 overall on the year and 18-7 on grass-held matches since 2014. He also has one championship on grass (2014 Ricoh Open).
