Marin Cilic vs Roberto Bautista Agut
24th January 00:00hrs
Tennis – Australian Open – 3rd Round
Pick Draw
Bookmaker Bet365
Odds: 11/5 odds taken 19:57 GMT, Wednesday 22 January
In the third round of the Australian Open 2020, former finalist Marin Cilic is lining up as the underdog. He had a tough five-set fixture to come through in the second round. How much will that have taken out of him? He squares up against Spain’s Roberto Bautista-Agut who was a quarter finalist at Melbourne Park last year.
Table of Contents
Can Cilic show his battling qualities again?
2014 US Open Champion Marin Cilic was up against it in the second round of this Australian Open campaign. He won a tense super tie-break against France’s Benoit Paire, who is ranked 21st in the world. The match really had some dramatic swings, and it lasted about three and a half hours. Cilic came on strong towards the end however.
His first round success was much easier and quicker, beating Corentin Moutet in straight sets. Cilicreally held his nerve in taking out Paire and even though it was an extended match, it is not something that should have an effect on a top quality player so early in the year. The only pre-tournament action that Cilic has was a few ATP Cup fixtures for his country (W2 D1).
Cilic did struggle for form last year, without question but is usually pretty calm under pressure. He does hold the head to head lead over Bautista Agut 4-2. The only slightly questionable thing about that is that Cilic has lost both of his two previous outdoor hard court contests against him. They met at the Australian Open last year and Cilic lost in five sets.
Bautista Agut the form man
Spain’s Bautista Agut helped his country won the ATP Cup earlier this month so has a bit of a winning buzz going. He has a brilliant tournament winning all six of his singles matches played at the ATP Cup. Granted he didn’t face a top-twenty player at all during that run, but did secure a straight sets victory over Nick Kyrgios.
The Spaniard actually didn’t drop a set at the ATP Cup. What about his Grand Slam form? Well he did run to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open last year, and secured a semi berth at Wimbledon. He hadn’t made it past the fourth round at the Australian Open before last year, and that semi at SW19 remains his career best Slam result.
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2019 was easily the best year of Bautista Agut’s career. He opened in the first round of action at this year’s Australian Open with a straight sets win over fellow Spaniard Feliciano Lopez. Then he had to pick himself up from having lost the first set in his second round contest against America’s Micahel Mmoh. He is a big player in form at the moment, but this is a tricky fixture against Cilic.
Marin Cilic vs Roberto Bautista Agut Betting Advice
There are easily enough things to warrant considering Bautista Agut to win this match. He has been in cracking form at the start of 2020 and he had a career best year in 2019. But still, his quarter final at Melbourne Park last year bucked the trend of him barely making an impact at the tournament throughout his career.
Key Facts – Marin Cilic vs Roberto Bautista Agut Betting Tip
- Marin Cilic was a 2018 losing Finalist at the Australian Open
- Marin Cilic leads the head to head over Bautista Agut
- Roberto Bautista-Agut won the ATP Cup with Spain earlier this month
Of course, playing a three and a half hour match isn’t not a great way to prolong longevity at a Grand Slam, but we were impressed by the way that Cilic got stronger in his second round match against Paire. That shows that he still has it in his game and after a drop in form overall last year, maybe the early season spark can get him to the fourth round.
The best betting odds for Maric Cilic vs Roberto Bautista-Agut
Marin Cilic to win: 11/5 at Bet365
Roberto Bautista-Agut: 4/11 at Bet365
