Novak Djokovic moved to within a victory of his second US Open crown after recording a four-set win over Feliciano Lopez on Tuesday. The world no. 1 will look to grab that coveted spot in the final when he takes on defending champion Marin Cilic in a mouth-watering clash this coming Friday.
Read on below for an in-depth breakdown of this semis matchup and while you’re at it, you can check out our preview of the other men’s semifinal between Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka.
[sc:TennisArticles ]Novak Djokovic vs. Marin Cilic Betting Preview
Where: Arthur Ashe Stadium, Flushing Meadows, New York
When: Friday, September 11, 5:00 PM ET
Line: Novak Djokovic (-900) vs. Marin Cilic (+550) – view all US Open Men’s Singles lines
Betting on Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic stormed to his ninth consecutive US Open semifinal with a thrilling 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (2) win over Feliciano Lopez on Arthur Ashe Stadium. It was an excellent performance from the nine-time Grand Slam champion who needed just two hours and 39 minutes to oust the Spaniard.
[sc:Other240banner ]Djokovic, who improved to 6-0 against Lopez, blasted 36 winners and won 76 percent of his first serve points. What proved to be the difference in the match, though, was his highly-efficient play. Djokovic committed just 17 unforced errors in the contest, as opposed to Lopez’s 48. The world no. 1 is averaging just 22.2 unforced errors in his five matches in this tournament thus far.
Next up for Djokovic is a semifinal clash with Marin Cilic. The 28-year-old has fared extremely well in his past meetings with Cilic, winning all of their 13 previous matches. Djokovic eased past Cilic in their last meeting at Wimbledon last July, winning in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. The Serbian star is 9-0 against Cilic on the hard courts.
For Djokovic to extend his dominance against Cilic, he needs to improve on his play on the receiving end. He won just 34 percent (40-of-116) of his receiving points in his quarterfinal match against Lopez. Djokovic will take comfort in the fact, however, that he made the most of his break opportunities in that contest. He converted three of his eight break point chances in that win against Lopez.
Djokovic is 9-1 in his last 10 matches.
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Betting on Marin Cilic
Marin Cilic extended his winning streak in the US Open to 12 matches with a stunning 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (3), 6-4 victory over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Tuesday. It was a remarkable performance from the 26-year-old who needed three hours and 59 minutes to hack out the marathon victory.
Key to Cilic’s victory was his phenomenal serve. He put into play 59 percent of his first serves against Tsonga with the Croatian winning 78 percent (73-of-93) of those points. His occasional forays to the net also paid dividends as he won 22 of his 34 net points against the Frenchman.
Things are bound to get tougher, for Cilic, though, as standing in his way in the next round is the red-hot Novak Djokovic. Cilic is 0-13 lifetime against the world no. 1. In those 13 meetings, Cilic has managed to win just five sets.
For the defending champion to buck the odds and upset Djokovic in the semifinals, he will need to continue his excellent play on the service end. Cilic leads the US Open through five rounds with 111 aces. He will have his work cut out for him, however, against Djokovic who leads the tournament in break points won with 27.
Cilic is 7-3 in his last 10 matches.
Writer’s Prediction
Djokovic (-900) books a spot in the final with a straight-sets win.
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