Marin Cilic favorite to win next week in Open Sud de France

Aug 29, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Marin Cilic of Croatia returns a shot to Roger Dutra Silva of Brazil on Louis Armstrong Stadium on day one of the 2016 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 29, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Marin Cilic of Croatia returns a shot to Roger Dutra Silva of Brazil on Louis Armstrong Stadium on day one of the 2016 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports /
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Marin Cilic is the favorite to win next week’s ATP World Tour event in France. The 2017 Open Sud de France takes place in Montpellier, France.

Marin Cilic is the current world No. 7.  After a disappointing early exit at Melbourne Park, the 28-year-old tennis player will be the favorite to win the Open Sud de France.

He goes into Arena Montpellier as the top seed at the ATP event.

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Cilic won 2 titles on tour last season and will be looking to bounce back from his recent play at the Australian Open.

Other players in the field include defending champion Richard Gasquet and world No. 14 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. There is no shortage of talent in Montpellier next week. Also in action is Mischa Zverev who is coming off his best Grand Slam performance to date.

Zverev upset world No. 1 Andy Murray to advance to the quarterfinals at Melbourne Park. He would go on to lose to eventual champion Roger Federer, but the German tennis player will undoubtedly be someone to watch in Montpellier.

Look for Marin Cilic to assert himself on the hard indoor surfaces of Arena Montpellier. He is a former US Open title winner, taking home glory at the Grand Slam in 2014 and Cilic has 16 total singles titles. In late 2016, the Croatian reached his highest ranking of world No. 6. He now sits at world No. 7 and will be looking to break into the top five with strong play over the next several months. That can start on February 6 at the Open Sud de France.

Next: 10 Best Men's Players in Open Era

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