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Marin Čilić wins opening round match at the 2017 US Open

By Harry Floyd

NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 28: Marin Cilic of Croatia celebrates his first round Men's Singles match win over Tennys Sandgren of the United States on Day One of the 2017 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 28, 2017 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 28: Marin Cilic of Croatia celebrates his first round Men's Singles match win over Tennys Sandgren of the United States on Day One of the 2017 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 28, 2017 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images) /
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Marin Čilić wins his opening round match on Monday at the 2017 US Open. He is a former champion at the major tournament and the No. 5 seed this year.

Marin Čilić wins his opener at Flushing Meadows. The 2014 men’s singles champion is the No. 5 seed going into this year’s US Open.

He defeats 26-year-old Tennys Sandgren of the United States in four sets to advance. The American was originally slated to face Andy Murray before his withdrawal from the tournament.

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Čilić takes his opening round match against Sandgren 6-4, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.

The 2014 men’s singles champion is playing just his first ATP World Tour tournament since Wimbledon. While he did finish runner-up at Wimbledon this year, he was noticeably struggling with a lingering adductor injury. Čilić fell to Roger Federer in the previous Grand Slam in straight sets.

Now, Marin Čilić is shaking off the dust and gearing up for a run at Flushing Meadows.

Sandgren put up a fight against the world No. 7. It was not, however, enough to complete an upset. Though the Croatian tennis star dominated all but one set, he saw some ups and downs throughout the match. Most likely, this is due to his time away since Wimbledon. If he can remain healthy and find his rhythm at the US Open, he will be a strong contender for the men’s singles title.

Up next for the 2014 champion is Florian Mayer on Wednesday.

The German tennis veteran took his opening round match in four sets, defeating Rogério Dutra Silva of Brazil. The meeting with Mayer is not a surefire victory for the world No. 7. While he did defeat Mayer at Wimbledon this year, the German tennis veteran is 2-3 against Čilić throughout his career. At 33-years-old, Mayer has the potential to play spoiler.

Next: Top 10 Men's Singles Player in Open Era

Look for Marin Čilić to dig deep on Wednesday. He will be the favorite going into the match, but will need to prove that he can remain consistent in his game after his time away due to injury. 2017 US Open action continues all week at Flushing Meadows. Stay tuned for more updates on the Grand Slam on both the men’s and women’s side.

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