Nitto ATP Finals round-robin preview and prediction: Zverev vs. Cilic

Alexander Zverev and Marin Cilic will be colliding for the seventh time in their careers when they battle during round-robin action at the Nitto ATP Finals on Monday afternoon.

Zverev is dominating the head-to-head series 5-1, including 5-0 in their last five meetings, 3-1 on hard courts, and 1-0 at the year-end championship. They also faced each in the group stage last fall, when Zverev prevailed 6-4, 3-6, 6-4. Their most encounter came earlier this season on the red clay of Rome, where the 21-year-old German scored a 7-6(13), 7-5 victory.
A trip to London is nothing new for Cilic, who is making his fourth appearance at this prestigious event. But to say he has been unsuccessful would be an understatement, as the seventh-ranked Croat has never advanced to the semifinals and is saddled with a 1-8 lifetime record. Cilic’s current form does not bode well for his chances of suddenly making noise at the O2 Arena; he is a mere 4-6 in his last 10 matches dating back to a five-set U.S. Open quarterfinal loss to Kei Nishikori.

Zverev is making his third Nitto ATP Finals appearance at just 21 years old. The fifth-ranked German continues to underwhelm at slams, but he comfortably qualified for London thanks to three titles (including his third career Masters 1000 triumph in Madrid) and a runner-up performance in Miami. Zverev is a decent 9-4 this fall and has reached at least the quarterfinals of three consecutive tournaments–including semis in Shanghai and Basel.

Both current form and past history in this matchup favor the third seed, but Cilic should at least be competitive. The 30-year-old has dropped a match in straight sets only once since Rome, a stretch that includes a pair of three-set losses to Djokovic. He lost all three of last year’s matches at the O2 Arena in three.

This has all the makings of yet another final-set disappointment for Cilic at the hands of a confident opponent.

Pick: Zverev in 3

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