Dispatching World No. 31 Philipp Kohlschreiber easily (6-4, 6-2, 6-3) in Round 1 at Wimbledon, Marin Cilic has been reminding tennis fans lately how he became the 2014 US Open Champion. Though Cilic has never been past the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, he’s made it to the quarters the last three years in a row — and the big server’s form looks outstanding to open Wimbledon 2017.
Cilic had a bit more trouble in the second round with Florian Mayer, the 33-year-old journeyman who has beaten Cilic twice in the past (including at Wimbledon in 2010). No such luck this time for Mayer, who put up a good fight but still went down in straight sets to Cilic (7-8, 6-4, 7-5). Cilic is currently No. 6 in the world rankings, having made it to the finals at Queen’s preceding Wimbledon. Cilic’s seed puts him on a collision course with Rafa Nadal in the quarterfinals. Cilic’s odds of winning the Wimbledon crown began at 20-1, same as Milos Raonic.
PROJECTED QUARTER-FINALS
Murray v Wawrinka
Nadal v Cilic
Raonic v Federer
Thiem v Djokovic#Wimbledon— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 30, 2017
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