Veteran Croat Marin Cilic and rising Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina meet for the second time in as many weeks, in the first round of the 2020 Cologne Open on Monday, October 19. The exact timing of the match is yet to be determined. Get the live streaming options of this Marin Cilic v Alejandro Davidovich Fokina match along with its preview, head to head, and tips here.
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Marin Cilic v Alejandro Davidovich Fokina Head to Head
This will be the second match between both players. They met last week at the first of two Cologne Opens, and Fokina clinched it in a decider.
Also Read:
Fokina In Midst Of Surprise Run
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina had his first notable season in 2019, when he won two challenger titles. He also reached his maiden ATP event semi-finals at Estoril, where he recorded his first-ever tour-level win.
The Spaniard continued his impressive run and broke into the top 100 of the ATP rankings. He also qualified for the season-ending Next Gen ATP Finals to cap off a brilliant year.
This season since the return from the Covid-19 break has been surprisingly good for Fokina. After a first round loss at the Western & Southern Open, he did well to make the fourth round at the US Open. Despite none too impressive outings on clay, where he lost early in Rome and Paris, he returned to good form last week at the inaugural Cologne tournament.
The Spaniard made the semi-finals of the Cologne Open defeating Marin Cilic along the way and put up a spirited fight in the final four against number one seed and home favorite Alexander Zverev. The match was eventually won by Zverev 7-5, 7-6(3) in two tight sets.
The last two months have been a testament to Fokina’s grit as the youngster dug deep to grind himself out of difficult positions.
Despite losses to Zverev at both the US Open and in Cologne, Fokina will be proud of his achievements in both these tournaments especially.
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Cilic Looking To Resurrect Season & Career
Marin Cilic spent most of the last decade ranked within the top ten in the world. He is the 2014 US Open champion, and a finalist at the 2017 Wimbledon and 2018 Australian Open respectively. The big serving Croat has been ranked as high as world number three and typically a familiar face in the second week of any major.
2019 was a dismal year for Cilic, with injuries and disappointing form and dropping out of the top 40 in the ATP rankings. The Croat started the year well, losing in the fourth round of the Australian Open to Milos Raonic, but showing glimpses of his old self, especially in a five set win against Roberto Bautista Agut, in the third round.
The Croat’s return to the season on both clay and hard courts were far from impressive by his lofty standards. He lost to younger legs at the Western & Southern Open and the Italian Open, losing to Denis Shapovalov and Casper Ruud respectively, where as at both the French & US Open, he was unlucky to return into world number three Dominic Thiem early on and lost on both
Incidentally, Cilic & Fokina played in the second round last week here at Cologne, and the young Spaniard pulled off a win in the decider. The veteran Croat will be hoping to pull one back this time around.
Cilic v Fokina Prediction and Tip
A repeat of last week, with both players’ careers moving in opposite directions at the moment. Fokina will take a lot of confidence from his win and good run last week, but expect the fighter in Cilic to come out strong. It is down to whoever is better on the day, but expect Cilic to come through in three sets.
Tip: Cilic to win in three sets: 1/1 (bet365)
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The Cologne Open 2020 will be played from October 19 to 25. You can watch & bet on the Cologne Open here. Get your latest premium tennis predictions here.
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