Andy Murray’s winning streak will be put to the test against Milos Raonic in the Cincinnati semifinals on Saturday. Marin Cilic and Grigor Dimitrov are also aiming for a place in the title match.
(1) Andy Murray vs. (4) Milos Raonic
It will be a rematch of the Wimbledon final when Murray and Raonic square off in the semis of the Western & Southern Open on Saturday evening. Not only does Murray boast a current 21-match winning streak overall, but he has also won six in a row at Raonic’s expense dating back to the fall of 2014 after taking care of the Canadian 6-4, 7-6(3), 7-6(2) to lift the trophy at the All-England Club. What was once a 3-1 advantage in the head-to-head series for Raonic is now a 7-3 deficit.
There is, however, ample reason to think Murray’s streaks may end. He is making a quick turnaround following another gold medal-winning performance at the Olympics, where he outlasted Juan Martin Del Potro in a four-hour final just last Sunday. The second-ranked Scot has advanced in Cincinnati with victories over Juan Monaco, Kevin Anderson, and Bernard Tomic. While Murray was toiling away in Rio de Janeiro, Raonic rested up for this week. That decision has paid off in the form of convincing wins over John Isner, Yuichi Sugita (dropped a set but took the others 6-1, 6-1), and Dominic Thiem. The fast conditions in Cincinnati should help Raonic dictate play with his serve and forehand and run Murray just enough for the tour’s hottest player to finally run out of gas.
Pick: Raonic in 3
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(12) Marin Cilic vs. Grigor Dimitrov
Cilic and Dimitrov will be facing each other in a second consecutive tournament when they meet again on Saturday. Their third career encounter came just last week at the Olympics, where Cilic cruised through a first-round affair 6-1, 6-4. He is a perfect 2-0 against Dimitrov on outdoor hard courts, but the Bulgarian scored a 7-6(3), 7-6(2) indoor victory last fall at the Paris Masters. Although Dimitrov got off to a slow start this season, he appears to be turning things around just in time for the U.S. Open. After reaching the quarterfinals of the Rogers Cup, the world No. 34 has gone one step further in Cincinnati thanks to defeats of Gilles Simon, Feliciano Lopez, Stan Wawrinka, and Steve Johnson.
Aside from blowing a two-set lead to Jack Sock in a Davis Cup quarterfinal rubber, Cilic does not have any bad losses since early June. The 14th-ranked Croat was a semifinalist at Queen’s Club, a quarterfinalist at Wimbledon, and he is coming off a third-round performance in Rio (fell to an in-form Gael Monfils). Cilic, who recently split from coach Goran Ivanisevic, is through to the last four this week with wins over Viktor Troicki, Fernando Verdasco, Tomas Berdych (in three sets), and Borna Coric (via retirement). Although Dimitrov is starting to build some confidence, there is no reason to think he will completely turn the tide from what transpired at the Olympics.
Pick: Cilic in 2
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