Queen’s Club R2 previews and predictions: Cilic vs. Muller, Querrey vs. Wawrinka

Seeds Marin Cilic and Sam Querrey will continue their Queen’s Club campaigns on Wednesday, but they may not have an easy time earning quarterfinal spots. Cilic is facing Gilles Muller, while Querrey is going up against Stan Wawrinka.

(1) Marin Cilic vs. Gilles Muller

Cilic and Muller will be squaring off for the fourth time in their career, for the third time on grass, and for the second time at Queen’s Club when they clash in round two of the Fever-Tree Championships on Wednesday. All three of their previous encounters have gone Cilic’s way, including a 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 result in the semifinals of this event last summer followed by a 3-6, 7-6(6), 7-5, 5-7, 6-1 thriller a few weeks later in the Wimbledon quarters. Their first meeting came on the indoor hard courts of Rotterdam in 2016, when Cilic prevailed 7-6(2), 7-6(7).

The sixth-ranked Croat picked up some momentum heading into his favorite time of year by showcasing some stellar clay-court tennis, reaching quarterfinals at the Monte-Carlo Masters and Roland Garros to go along with a semifinal finish in Rome. Now on a more favorable surface for his game, Cilic defeated Fernando Verdasco 6-3, 6-4 on Monday. Also a force on grass, Muller dropped his ‘s-Hertogenbosch opener to Matthew Ebden but he turned things around to pick up a 7-6(7), 7-6(6) Queen’s Club victory over Denis Shapovalov. This is sure to be yet another competitive contest between these two veterans on a fast surface, but Muller is a mere 8-13 in 2018 and is simply lacking the confidence that Cilic is enjoying right now.

Pick: Cilic in 2

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Stan Wawrinka vs. (5) Sam Querrey

Wawrinka’s 2018 comeback started decently enough, plunged into a disaster during a four-match losing streak, but may be turning around in time for Wimbledon. The world No. 261 at least managed to win one match on clay (over Jared Donaldson in Geneva) and lost a five-setter against Guillermo Garcia-Lopez at the French Open before beating Cameron Norrie 6-2, 6-3 on Monday at Queen’s Club. 

Up next for Wawrinka on Wednesday is a seventh career contest against Querrey, who is a dreadful 1-5 in the head-to-head series. The 13th-ranked American ended a three-match losing streak to the Swiss with a 2013 victory in Beijing, but he dropped their most recent encounter in a three-setter at the Geneva Open last spring. Querrey is just 11-11 this year and will be facing a steep slide in the rankings if he fails to defend a significant chunk of points at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. That being said, grass is arguably Querrey’s best surface and it should help him get the best of an opponent who is still somewhat rusty.

Pick: Querrey in 3

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6 Comments on Queen’s Club R2 previews and predictions: Cilic vs. Muller, Querrey vs. Wawrinka

  1. Although Muller will probably lose here, I’m happy as a fan of his to see him playing at a higher level here. I think the grass court season can rejuvenate his confidence heavily, particularly if he gets a favorable draw at Wimbledon. He will probably play in Newport after as well, so he still has several weeks to thrive on his best surface and regain some of the momentum he lost with that elbow injury.

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