TennisSection previews the 2022 Madrid Open as Alexander Zverev takes on Marin Cilic in the second round on Wednesday, May 4th, 2022.
Will Alexander Zverev recover from a disappointing loss in Munich when he starts his Madrid Open title defense? Or will Marin Cilic build on his solid first-round win over Ramos Vinolas and punch his ticket into the third round? History suggests a Zverev win is more likely.
Alexander Zverev has won the Madrid Open twice in his career including last year’s edition. Zverev beat a gaudy list of opponents such as Nishikori, Nadal, Thiem and MatteoBerrettini to win the title. And reminiscent to last season, Zvereventers this year’s tournament with very low expectations. His first-round defeat in Munich which he called his ‘worst defeat’ in years has clearly damaged his chances of defending his Madrid crown. But in fairness, Zverev has always played decently in these shores. He has never lost before the quarterfinal in each of his last four trips and can be backed to go deep this week.
Marin Cilic, meanwhile, came through a very stubborn opponent in Albert Ramos Vinolas. Cilic, who has won two of his 20 ATP titles on clay, is four spots away from returning to the world’s Top 20. And he overcame a wobbly start to his first-round match against the Spanish lefty, to take a 4-2 lead before eventually wrapping up the first set 6-3 in 37 minutes. Ramos Vinolasresponded swiftly by breaking Cilic in the fourth game of the second set. It was the only break of the set as the Spanish clay-court specialist restored parity. Momentum was on Ramos Vinolas’ side in the decider as he took a giant stride towards victory, going 4-2 up. Remarkably he never won another game after that as Cilic began clubbing his heavy ground strokes to snatch four straight games and advance into the second round of the Madrid Open.
Alexander Zverev leads Marin Cilic 6-1 in their head-to-head. Since Cilic won their first meeting in Washington in 2015, this rivalry has been dominated by the German star. Although the two players haven’t clashed in almost four years, Zverev will be the red-hot favorite to progress. The conditions at the Madrid Open suit his style of play and will surely look to put the Munich defeat to Holger Rune at the back of his mind.
Free Tennis Pick and Prediction: Alexander Zverev to win in straight sets.
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