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| Match: Finished | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| M. Cilic (CRO) (6) | 6 | 6 | 7(7) |
| B. Tomic (AUS) | 2 | 4 | 6(3) |
| Completed Sets | ||
|---|---|---|
| Set won by M. Cilic | 7(7) - 6(3) | M. Cilic leads 3 to 0 |
| Set won by M. Cilic | 6 - 4 | M. Cilic leads 2 to 0 |
| Set won by M. Cilic | 6 - 2 | M. Cilic leads 1 to 0 |
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Bernard Tomic will be back in action at the Australian Open, but it’ll be a tough first-round for him as he takes on last year’s finalist Marin Cilic. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 8:30pm (AEDT).
The Australian had a woeful 2017 – one he would rather forget – as his career went from low to low.
He was well outside the top 100 throughout the year, being forced to qualify for grand slams and having to work his way back from the bottom of the pile after taking some time off tennis.
While his level of effort has frustrated fans at times, Tomic had a better finish to 2018, and it was even more impressive that he was able to keep focused and concentrated while playing on the Challenger circuit.
Still, the level of dedication to win a few tournaments and haul himself back into the top 100 was impressive, securing Tomic automatic qualification to the Australian Open.
His only lead-up tournament to the Aussie Open was at Kooyong, where he took on Jack Sock and fellow wild star Nick Kyrgios. Neither match was all that high-intensity, but Tomic was serving well and played solidly all the way around.
However, he is going to need to go up the gears to compete with a player of Cilic’s character, who made the final here last year and outside of the big three, is probably the next best player in the world.
Cilic though may well be a bit rusty heading into this match with a dangerous player like Tomic, given he hasn’t played a match in the lead-up.
While reports suggest he has been hitting well, the world No.7 hasn’t been sighted on court since the Davis Cup final in November.
The pair have played three previous matches, with Cilic taking two of them. However, their last match was in 2015 as Tomic won in Montreal.
Prediction
Tomic has some matches in the legs and could well take Cilic to the post here with a bit of an attitude shift, but in the end, the Croatian is probably going to get the job done.
Cilic in four sets.
Be sure to join The Roar for live coverage of this first-round Australian Open clash from around 8:30pm (AEDT) or at the completion of Ashleigh Barty’s match on Margaret Court Arena and don’t forget to add a comment in the section below.
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