Kei Nishikori, Marin Cilic Match Can Go Either Way
By Harry Floyd
Japanese tennis star Kei Nishikori is back in action on the 2018 ATP World Tour. Next, he faces Marin Cilic at the Monte-Carlo Masters.
Kei Nishikori kicked off his return from injury at a few Challenger events before hitting the ATP World Tour events. Now, the Japanese tennis star is rediscovering his rhythm on tour and faces a tough matchup at the 2018 Monte-Carlo Masters.
Up next for Nishikori in the quarterfinals is world No. 3 Marin Cilic. The Croatian tennis star made headlines when he finished runner-up to Roger Federer at the Australian Open earlier this year. Federer continued his dominance atop the sport by winning yet another Grand Slam singles title. Cilic, however, he remained atop the rankings and continues to make deep tournament runs. His play at the Monte-Carlo Masters is no different. Cilic saw an easy advance past Milos Raonic as the Canadian had to retire, but he has the chance to reach the semis if he can take down Nishikori on Friday. The two have a storied history of career head-to-head matches.
Nishikori has a slight edge over Cilic throughout their careers. He posts a 7-6 ATP singles match record against the Croatian tennis star. It’s Cilic though who has won the last three matches between the two. That could make a difference in their Monte-Carlo Masters quarterfinals meeting. Cilic is the second seed at the Masters 1000 event. Nishikori is unseeded as he is the current world No. 36 in men’s singles tennis. Don’t let his ranking fool you though.
Kei Nishikori and Marin Cilic face off in the Monte-Carlo quarterfinals. Cilic is the second seed whereas Nishikori has a 7-6 career record against the Croatian tennis star.
Elsewhere at the Masters 1000 tournament, top seed and world No. 1 Rafael Nadal is also into the quarterfinals. His matchup with Dominic Thiem next is sure to draw some attention. Thiem has seen flashes of success against the Spanish superstar before but Nadal is a ten-time champion at the event. He must be considered the favorite moving forward. Stay tuned to see how Kei Nishikori and others fare throughout the rest of the 2018 Monte-Carlo Masters.