Tennis Prediction Marin Cilic vs Frances Tiafoe: Montreal

🇨🇦 Montreal

• There are two versions of Frances Tiafoe this season. The one from June won the biggest title of his career in Halle, saving 3 match points against Felix Auger-Aliassime before dominating Taylor Fritz in the final. The one from today has only played one match in a month, and lost it in the first round in Washington, at home.

• The whole question of the match is to know which one shows up tonight. The beauty of this ticket is that I don't need to decide.

• Because on the other side, Marin Cilic is like a well-oiled machine: last night on this court, 80% of points won behind his first serve and a qualification completed in 20 games. At 37, his serve remains a weapon that no one easily dismantles.

• And this match has a profile written in advance: two servers of this caliber, it gives sets without break points, decided in tie-breaks or on a point of nothing at all. In this format, the set goes back and forth quickly.

• If the Tiafoe from Washington shows up, Cilic can win this match outright. If the one from Halle shows up, there is still enough lottery in the tie-breaks for a Croatian set to fall into the pot. The only losing scenario is a Tiafoe on a great night who rolls out two clean sets against a server at 80% of first serves. I have a hard time paying so dearly for it.

• The respect is total for the Halle champion, world No. 20 and author of a real season. But between his blank month and the rhythm of the Croat, I take the security set, and the rest will be a bonus.