Marin Cilic, the 2014 US Open champion, will play World No. 18 Karen Khachanov on Thursday in the second round of the 2022 Astana Open.
Here, Cilic faced Oscar Otte in the opening round. The Croat dropped serve once more at 6-5 to lose the set. He was serving to tie the match. The Croat needed four set points in the next tie-break to win the set and force a championship match. In the final set, Cilic went out to a 3-0 lead and pressured Otte throughout the rest of his service games. At 5-2 and serving to stay in the match, the German lost service once more, and the former US Open champion finished off a comeback triumph with a score of 5-7, 7-6(4), 6-2.
In the opening round of the competition in Astana, Karen Khachanov took on Maxime Cressy. At the start of the opening set, neither player gave any ground. In the ninth game, the Russian secured the crucial break and finished the match by serving. The pair also put on a dominant serve show in the second set. In the tenth game, Cressy faced a set point on his opponent’s serve but couldn’t convert it. Soon after, the American won the tie-break to take a 2-0 lead in the set. Khachanov improved, though, and came back to win the tie-break and the match 6-4, 7-6. (3).
Cilic vs Khachanov Match Details
Tournament: Astana Open
Date: October 6, 2022
Venue: Astana, Kazakhstan
Surface: Hard
Round: Second round
Category: Men’s Singles
Prize Money: $3,728,045
Cilic vs Khachanov Head-to-Head Record
Before this, the two had fought five times, with Cilic holding a 3-2 advantage overall. At the 2022 Canadian Open, he defeated them once in straight sets.
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Cilic vs Khachanov Prediction
With a second-place result in Tel Aviv just before this competition, Cilic is now in pretty good shape. Though Khachanov’s consistency should give him the advantage, it won’t be shocking if the Russian wins either because the matchup seems to be quite evenly matched.
Prediction: Cilic to win in 3
Cilic Last three performances
- Astana Open: First round- b. Otte 5-7, 7-6(4), 6-2
- Tel Aviv Open: Final- l. Djokovic 3-6, 4-6
- Tel Aviv Open: Semifinal- b. Lestienne 7-5, 6-3
Khachanov Last three performances
- Astana Open: First round- b. Cressy 6-4, 7-6(3)
- US Open: Semifinal- l. Ruud 6-7(5), 2-6, 7-5, 2-6
- US Open: Quarterfinal- b. Kyrgios 7-5, 4-6, 7-5, 6-7(3), 6-4
Broadcast and Live Stream Details
- US – Tennis Channel
- UK – Tennis TV (live streaming)
- Australia – beIN Sports
- Canada – TSN
- India – Discovery/ Tennis TV
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