tennis | Wednesday, August 10, 2022 7:41 AM (Revised at: Wednesday, August 10, 2022 7:43 AM)

Wednesday Tennis Best Bet: ATP Montreal, Karen Khachanov vs Marin Cilic

Jon Reid

Karen Khachanov vs Marin Cilic Best Bet: Wednesday, August 10th

For Wednesday’s selection in Montreal, we’ll dive into the match between Karen Khachanov and Marin Cilic.

The veteran Croatian looks to build on his impressive first-round victory against his compatriot, Borna Coric, while Khachanov won a tight contest against Francisco Cerundolo to book his spot in the second round.

In this article:

Karen Khachanov vs Marin Cilic Preview
Karen Khachanov vs Marin Cilic Best Bet

Karen Khachanov vs Marin Cilic Preview

August 10th, 20:00 UK Time

It’s a matchup of big servers in this second-round encounter, as both Khachanov and Cilic can dial up the pace and find plenty of free points using their first serve and first forehands.

For me, this matchup comes down to the consistency that Cilic can play with, that is often lacking in the Russian’s game.

While Cilic can match the weapons of his opponent, he’s less prone to stretches of error-filled play. His backhand wing is also a bit more solid than his younger counterpart’s.

Statistically, these two have fairly even elo ratings, but the Croatian has the upper-hand by a few points in terms of hold plus break percentage this season on hard courts.

Khachanov’s form hasn’t been the most convincing of late, either. He’s had much closer matches in wins against the likes of Laslo Djere, Kamil Majchrzak, Francisco Cerundolo and Dominik Koepfer than the odds would have suggested in his last few tournaments and hasn’t won more than two matches at any tournament since the French Open.

The markets are much higher on the Russian’s prospects than I am, as we just haven’t seen him have much sustained success this year.