It’s down to four in New York, and Roger Federer is set for his ninth semifinal appearance under the bright lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium. Federer’s opponent, Marin Cilic, this will be the biggest game of his life in his first-ever U.S. Open semifinal. It’s sure to be an entertaining affair, so read on for our take on this high-stakes match.
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic will face the resilient Kei Nishikori in the other semi. Check out our preview of that match here.
[sc:MultiSportArticles ]
Roger Federer vs. Marin Cilic Prediction and Betting Preview
Where: USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, New York
Considered one of the heavy favorites in the tournament, Roger Federer enjoyed a manageable draw in the early stages and won three of his first four matches in straight sets. However, he had quite a scare in his quarterfinal match against Gael Monfils after dropping the first two sets.
[sc:Other240banner ]Federer kept his wits and rallied to win the remaining three sets for the victory. After fighting off two match points and producing 26 unforced errors in the first two sets of the quarterfinal, Federer will not make the same mistakes in his next match.
Federer has shown a new dimension to his game at the U.S. Open. He averaged 54 approaches in the four previous rounds, but attempted an approach a total of 74 times (winning 53 of those points) against Monfils.
However, Federer will have a tougher outing when he faces the devastating service game of Marin Cilic in the semifinal. Still, if Federer can wear Cilic out with long volleys and deceive his opponent with approaches, this semifinal will be a breeze.
Marin Cilic became the first Croatian to reach the U.S. Open semifinal since his coach, Goran Ivanisevic, did it in 1996. He did so after handily dispatching Tomas Berdych in the quarterfinal on Thursday. He won 48 first serve points and blasted 19 aces en route to a 6-2 6-4 7-6(4) straight-sets victory.
Cilic will have a difficult challenge in his first ever U.S. Open semifinal when he meets Roger Federer across the court. The Croatian previously met Federer at the Rogers Cup in August. He fought hard but lost a tie break in the first set before taking the second set from the consensus greatest tennis player of all time. Cilic eventually bowed out in three sets, 7-6(5), 6-7(3), 6-4.
Backed by a powerful serve, Cilic will be seeking revenge on a far grander stage. His service game came in handy as he blasted 12 aces against Federer in the Rogers Cup loss. He has piled up a total of 58 aces in five rounds in the U.S. Open, while winning 83 percent of first serve points. Cilic also seems to be the fresher player coming off just three sets for his last match.
If Cilic has a good start against Federer, expect him to run away with a lead as he turns the pressure up against the aging all-time great.
Writer’s Prediction
Marin Cilic puts up a spirited effort, but Roger Federer wins this one in four sets.
