After 2 weeks of exciting action at Melbourne Park we are finally about to see someone crowned as the 2018 Australian Open Men’s Champion. Marin Cilic (6) and Roger Federer (2) are the last one’s standing and should provide some great viewing in a battle for the silverware. Here, we’ll be previewing the final and offering our best tip for the match.
Current 6th seed, Marin Cilic has had a tremendous 2 weeks in Melbourne on the way to the final for the first time at the Australian Open. Although he’s had a reasonably easy draw, it’s still the hardest of the two finalists, highlighted by his 4th Round win in 4 sets over Carreno-Busta (10) and his Quarter Final win in 5 sets over Rafael Nadal (1). Cilic’s best result at a Grand Slam is when he took at the US Open in 2014. He also made the Final of Wimbledon in 2017, where he lost to Federer in straight sets.
Is it possible that Roger Federer is currently in career best form at 36 years of age? Because that’s certainly what it feels like. The Swiss maestro has enjoyed his best 2 weeks ever at the Australian Open this year and has reached the final without dropping a single set. Although you could argue that he hasn’t had the hardest run to the final, you can only beat who is in front of you. Federer’s most notable wins at the AO this year are over Gasquet (29) and Berdych (20), but will face a much harder task on Sunday Night when comes up against Cilic (6).
Cilic and Federer have played each other on 9 separate occasions, with Federer winning 8 of them. They have played each other 4 times in Grand Slams, 2 of them being at Wimbledon and the other 2 at the US Open. This will be the first time they face off at the Australian Open. Cilic’s maiden victory over Federer came back in 2014 at the US Open in the Semi Final. Cilic won the match in straight sets and went on to claim his first Grand Slam title. Federer has won an incredible 19 Grand Slam titles and is aiming to become the first male to reach the 20 Grand Slam title milestone when he faces Cilic on Sunday night.
Marin Cilic’s Road to the Final
R1 – V. Pospisil 6-2, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6
R2 – J. Sousa 6-1, 7-5, 6-2
R3 – R. Harrison 7-6, 6-3, 7-6
R4 – P. Carreno-Busta (10) 6-7, 6-3, 7-6, 7-6
QF – R. Nadal (1) 3-6, 6-3, 6-7, 6-2, 2-0*
SF – K. Edmund 6-2, 7-6, 6-2
Roger Federer’s Road to the Final
R1 – A. Bedene 6-3, 6-4, 6-3
R2 – J-L. Struff 6-4, 6-4, 7-6
R3 – R. Gasquet (29) 6-2, 7-5, 6-4
R4 – M. Fucsovics 6-4, 7-6, 6-2
QF – T. Berdych (20) 7-6, 6-3, 6-4
SF – H. Chung 6-1, 5-2*
M. Cilic Vs Roger Federer Head to Head
R. Federer 7-6, 6-4, 6-1 (2017)
R. Federer 6-3, 6-1, 6-4 (2017)
R. Federer 6-7, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6, 6-3 (2016)
M. Cilic 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 (2014)
R. Federer 7-6, 6-7, 6-4 (2014)
Prediction
Although Cilic has been in great form during the tournament we just have to go with Federer to claim his 20th Grand Slam title. The GOAT hasn’t dropped a set en route to the final and has shown no signs of slowing down. We are expecting Federer to win reasonably comfortably.
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