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2018 US Open, September 2 Men's singles, 3rd round Louis Armstrong Stadium, Billie Jean King Tennis Center, Flushing Meadows, New York Marin Cilic vs Alex De Minaur |
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He’s in the form of his life, but Aussie sensation Alex de Minaur now faces his toughest test yet, taking on seventh seed and 2014 US Open champ Marin Cilic with a place in the final 16 on the line.
Join The Roar for live scores and minute-by-minute updates from around 10:30am (AEST).
De Minaur isn’t the first Australian teenager to take the tennis world by storm – Nick Kyrgios and Bernard Tomic both reached Grand Slam quarter-finals fresh off the juniors circuit – but something feels different about this latest prodigy down under.
His rise in 2018 has been as rapid as it has been unexpected – after finishing 2017 ranked outside the world’s top 200, the part-Spaniard has climbed the ladder at breakneck speed to world No.37, including a narrow loss to fourth-ranked Alexander Zverev in a pulsating Washington Open final in August.
His run at Flushing Meadows has been no less impressive, his booming forehand and speed around the court too much for Japan’s Taro Daniel before proving too strong for hometown hero Frances Tiafoe, who himself knocked out 29th seed Adrian Mannarino in the first round.
His opponent, Croatian veteran Marin Cilic, has come off the boil slightly since a run to the Australian Open final in January propelled him to world No.3, but his stunning triumph at this tournament in 2014 proves he is as comfortable in New York as anyone.
He is more than a match for de Minaur in the power stakes, so the Aussie will need to be at his best defensively to be a chance.
Prediction
De Minaur is in superb touch and can certainly trouble the Croatian, but Cilic’s thunderous serve and extra power should win him enough free points to bring the “Demon” down.
Cilic in four sets
Tune into The Roar’s live blog of this third round clash, and remember to leave us a comment in the section below.
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