Marin Cilic is seeded No. 7 at the 2016 US Open, but many believe his horse is not so dark as that. The surprise 2014 US Open Champion, Cilic enters Flushing Meadows straight off a breakthrough Masters 1000 title in Cincinnati. And the win came in impressive fashion, as Cilic handled Andy Murray without dropping a set, 6-4, 7-5. Straight sets is the way Cilic won the 2014 Open too — beating Tomas Berdych in the quarters, Roger Federer in the semis and Kei Nishikori in the finals — all in straight sets.
Cilic began the 2016 Open with the same dominance, beating Rogerio Dutra Silva 6-4, 7-5, 6-1. Cilic is serving at as high a level as anyone in the draw. Oddsmakers in Vegas place Cilic at 20-1, the same odds as they give Rafa Nadal. Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has been known to say that the best team doesn’t always win the championship. Instead, Cuban contends, hot teams win championships. Cuban would like Cilic’s chances: Cilic was hot in Cleveland. Now he’s roasting in New York.
