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10/30/08 2:11 AM | Ricky Dimon
Marin Cilic stands in the way of Roger Federer on Thursday in Paris. The winner will set up a quarterfinal encounter with either James Blake or Philipp Kohlschreiber.
Marin Cilic will get his first head-to-head glimpse of Roger Federer on Thursday in the third round of the Masters Series Paris. It probably isn't coming at the right time.
After a well-documented early-season slump, Federer is back on track. The No. 2 player in the world won Olympic gold in doubles this summer and that propelled him to his fifth straight U.S. Open title. Federer reached the semifinals of the Masters Series Madrid before falling to on-fire Andy Murray, then came back last week to thrill the Swiss crowd with a title in Basel. That trophy-winning campaign was highlighted by a straight-set dismantling of lethal indoor-court opponent David Nalbandian. Federer continued to dispose of tough competition when he sent Robin Söderling packing in Paris. Söderling won the title in Lyon last weekend and he played Federer close on Wednesday, but the Swiss prevailed 6-4, 7-6(7).
Like Söderling, Cilic has the power game that can work well on indoor hard courts but might lack the belief necessary to pull off a massive upset. The 6'6'' Croat won his first ATP title in New Haven this summer just before the U.S. Open and then won two rounds in New York before losing a four-set thriller to Novak Djokovic. Despite missing some time after that due to paralysis of a left facial nerve, Cilic came back to win two matches in Madrid, where he eventually fell to Murray. The 20-year-old suffered a minor hiccup last week in St. Petersburg, blowing match points in a first-round loss to Mikhail Kukushkin, but he seems to be back on track in Paris. Cilic ousted Andreas Seppi in straight sets in the first round and took care of Marcel Granollers in straights on Wednesday.
Cilic owns a big serve and it needs to be working magically in order for the underdog to have a chance, because he cannot hang with Federer from the rest of the court. He moves very well for a big man, but not well enough for Federer. Paris' No. 2 seed will move Cilic all over the place from the baseline. Ideally, Cilic would be able to get into the net and finish points there--that would be his only real hope--but has not implemented that tactic into his game on a consistent basis. Federer will probably force him to try it by dominating play from the back of the court and picking on his opponent's forehand, but Cilic's moves to the net should prove futile. Cilic can stay competitive with a good serving day, but look for Federer to advance in two sets.
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Did you know that... James Blake suffered from severe scoliosis as a teenager. He had to wear a back brace for 18 hours of the day because of it.
torres9, Jan 8, 2009 5:51 PM
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homos, Jan 8, 2009 12:22 PM
homos, Jan 8, 2009 12:18 PM
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RocketQueen, Jan 7, 2009 3:06 AM
Marin Cilic
Roger Federer
BNP Paribas Masters
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