Monte-Carlo QF previews and picks: Djokovic vs. Cilic, Raonic vs. Berdych

Novak Djokovic is potentially one win away from a semifinal showdown with Rafael Nadal as he goes up against Marin Cilic on Friday in Monte-Carlo. Milos Raonic and Tomas Berdych are also aiming for a place in the last four.

(1) Novak Djokovic vs. (8) Marin Cilic

Djokovic is riding a pair of streaks with a Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters quarterfinal against Cilic next on his schedule for Satuday afternoon. The world No. 1 has won 11 in a row in the head-to-head series and he has come out on top of 14 consecutive matches this season. Cilic got four shots at Djokovic last year and was competitive in the first three–including a five-setter at Wimbledon–before getting double-breadsticked at the World Tour Finals. Although he is 0-11 lifetime against the Serb, Cilic is just 0-1 on clay (a 6-3, 6-2, 6-7(2), 6-4 loss in the third round of the 2014 French Open).

There is no reason to think the underdog will be able to turn the tide right now. His best win of the season came on Thursday (6-3, 7-6(5) over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga), but that is not saying a lot. After all, this is just Cilic’s second tournament and that was his third match. Djokovic, on the other hand, is 27-2 for his 2015 campaign and 14-0 in his last 14 outings. So far in Monte-Carlo he has rolled over Albert Ramos-Vinolas and Andreas Haider-Maurer in straight sets. All signs point to this being one-way traffic for the top seed.

Pick: Djokovic in 2 losing 5-7 games

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(6) Tomas Berdych vs. (4) Milos Raonic

Raonic and Berdych will be doing battle for the fifth time in their careers when they clash during quarterfinal action on Friday. The head-to-head series stands at 3-1 in Raonic’s favor, but they have never faced each other on clay. They most recently squared off last fall on the indoor hard courts of Paris, where Raonic prevailed 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 to book a spot in the title match.

Both men have remained as two of the most consistent players on tour this season. Raonic’s 19-7 record is somewhat modest by his standards, but he upset Rafael Nadal in Indian Wells and is 8-2 in his last 10 matches after beating Joao Sousa and Tommy Robredo in Monte-Carlo. Berdych has advanced by taking out Sergiy Stakhovsky and Roberto Bautista Agut, dropping no sets in the process whereas Raonic surrendered one to Robredo (perhaps because he appeared to be hindered by a foot problem). The surface does not really help either competitor, so the Czech may continue to struggle in this particular matchup if his opponent is 100 percent. Berdych will need a proverbial assist from Raonic’s foot…and he might get it.

Pick: Berdych in 3

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