Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic are one round away from a potential blockbuster title match in Cincinnati, but they have tough semifinal tests on their hands. Federer is facing David Goffin, while Djokovic is going up against Marin Cilic.
(11) David Goffin vs. (2) Roger Federer
Federer and Goffin will be squaring off for the eighth time in their careers when they battle for a place in the Western & Southern Open final on Saturday. Goffin stunned Federer 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the semis of the 2017 Nitto ATP Finals, finally getting on the scoreboard against his idol after losing their first six encounters. The 37-year-old Swiss is 4-1 lifetime against Goffin on hard courts, including 1-0 outdoors following a 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 beatdown at the 2016 Australian Open.
This marks Federer’s lone tuneup for the U.S. Open, as he skipped Toronto thinking that he would probably get plenty of match practice under his belt in Cincinnati. After all, he was 42-8 lifetime at this event heading into this week and he is searching for his eighth title. It’s so far, so good for Federer, who has advanced with wins over Peter Gojowyczk, Leonardo Mayer, and Stan Wawrinka. Goffin has emerged from a relative slump by taking out Stefanos Tsitsipas, Benoit Paire, Kevin Anderson, and Juan Martin Del Potro. The 11th-ranked Belgian enjoyed an incredible Friday with straight-set upsets of both Anderson and Del Potro, but duplicating that effort against Federer will be tough to do–especially in Cincinnati.
Pick: Federer in 2
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(10) Novak Djokovic vs. (7) Marin Cilic
Djokovic and Cilic will be squaring off for the 17th time in their careers on Saturday. The head-to-head series stands at a dominant 14-2 in favor of Djokovic, but he had been a perfect 14-0 before Cilic suddenly reeled off a current two-match winning streak. The Croat prevailed 6-4, 7-6(2) at the 2016 Paris Masters and 5-7, 7-6(4), 6-3 after saving a championship point in this summer’s Queen’s Club final.
Djokovic made a nice escape of his own on Friday night in Cincinnati, recovering from a break down in the third set to beat Milos Raonic 7-5, 4-6, 6-3. The 10th-ranked Serb preceded that victory with defeats of Steve Johnson, Adrian Mannarino, and Grigor Dimitrov–winning the latter two of those matches in three sets. Cilic punched his ticket to the semifinals with victories over Marius Copil, Karen Khachanov, and Pablo Carreno Busta, earning his first two wins in three-setters. The seventh-ranked Croat has bounced back nicely from a disappointing Wimbledon with a 5-1 record so far on hard courts. Still, Djokovic looks inspired for a first-ever Cincinnati title and the sample size of his success against Cilic is large despite having lost their last two contests.
Pick: Djokovic in 2
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