Davis Cup previews and predictions: Cilic vs. Sock, Coric vs. Isner

The Davis Cup quarterfinal tie between Croatia and the United States will begin on Friday in Portland, Oregon. Marin Cilic is facing Jack Sock, while Borna Coric is going up against John Isner.

(CRO) Marin Cilic vs. (USA) Jack Sock

Fortunately for Sock, he has not been part of the well-documented American futility against Cilic heading into Davis Cup quarterfinal competition between Croatia and the United States. Cilic once won 26 consecutive matches against Americans before finally losing to Ryan Harrison earlier this year in Acapulco, which can be attributed to the fact that the Croat was making an extremely quick turnaround after finishing runner-up a few days earlier in Marseille. Having since picked up victories over Harrison, Steve Johnson, and Brian Baker, Cilic is 29-1 in his last 30 outings with an American on the other side of the set. No active American man on the entire tour owns has current winning streak–of even a single match–against Cilic. This however, marks the first head-to-head meeting between Cilic and Sock.

The world No. 12 is a clear favorite on paper, in part because he is coming off a quarterfinal performance at Wimbledon. Cilic came within one point–three times–of reaching the semis, but he ended up succumbing to Roger Federer 6-7(4), 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(9), 6-3. Sock ran into eventual finalist Milos Raonic in the third round at the All-England Club and lost 7-6(2), 4-6, 7-6(1). This could be a good opportunity for the world No. 26, given that he owns home-court advantage and really has nothing to lose in the sense that Croatia has to consider this particular rubber a must-win situation for its team. Cilic may be mentally and physically fatigued, but his one-two, serve-forehand punch is just a bit better than Sock’s right now and that ability to win free points may make the difference in the pressure-packed moments.

Pick: Cilic in 5

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(CRO) Borna Coric vs. (USA) John Isner

Isner and Coric will also be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers on Friday. There are two specific circumstances under which Isner generally does his best work: either playing in the United States, or playing for the United States. He will enjoy both of those advantages during this tie, in addition to the fact that an outdoor hard court has always been his favorite setting. Although the 6’10” American is rarely comfortably playing overseas, he at least managed to reach the last 16 at the French Open and the third round at Wimbledon (lost to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 19-17 in the fifth set).

Coric started to make a name for himself in 2014 and 2015, but he has watched guys like Dominic Thiem, Nick Kyrgios, and Alexander Zverev surpass him in terms of both hype and results. The 19-year-old Croat is currently stalled at No. 54 in the world with a modest 16-17 record at the ATP level this season. Coric won the deciding rubber against Belgium in the Davis Cup first round (over Kimmer Coppejans), but he also blew a two-set lead against Viktor Troicki in his country’s 2015 opener. Isner’s offense should overwhelm Coric’s defense before this match even gets close to a fifth set.

Pick: Isner in 3

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