Coming off a five-set thriller against Alex de Minaur, Marin Cilic will face David Goffin during U.S. Open fourth-round action on Monday. Kei Nishikori and Philipp Kohlschreiber are also aiming for a place in the quarterfinals.
(7) Marin Cilic vs. (10) David Goffin
Cilic has a new lease on life in New York after flirting with disaster against Alex de Minaur, whom he ended up outlasting 4-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 in three hours and 59 minutes at 2:22 a.m. on Sunday morning. The 2014 U.S. Open champion preceded that epic comeback with much more routine outings against Marius Copil and Hubert Hurkacz; in fact, he dropped only two games the entire way against Hurkacz.
Up next for Cilic on Monday is a sixth career meeting with Goffin, who who leads the head-to-head series 3-2–including 2-1 on hard courts. The seventh-ranked Croat, however, has taken two in a row with straight-set victories at the 2016 Paris Masters and on the red clay of Rome in 2017. Goffin earned another shot at Cilic by beating Federico Gaio, Robin Haase, and Jan-Lennard Struff, surrendering just one set to Haase in the process. The 10th-ranked Belgian was a recent semifinalist in Cincinnati, but he retired against Roger Federer and then smartly pulled out of Winston-Salem. Not unlike Cilic vs. de Minaur, this is a fun contract in styles that should result in an extremely competitive contest. But even if he is slightly fatigued, the No. 7 seed can shorten points with his power and eventually hit Goffin off the court in these conditions.
Pick: Cilic in 5
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(21) Kei Nishikori vs. Philipp Kohlschreiber
Nishikori and Kohlschreiber will be going head-to-head for the third time in their careers on Monday. Both of their previous encounters have gone the way of Nishikori, who coasted 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 and the 2016 Australian Open and 6-1, 6-2 this spring in Rome. In a favorable section that Alexander Zverev has already vacated and in which Cilic is not exactly looking dominant, the door may be open for Nishikori to reach the U.S. Open semifinals for a third time. The world No. 19 from Japan has improved to 26-13 in 2018 with defeats of Maximilian Marterer, Gael Monfils, and Diego Schwartzman.
Kohlschreiber missed out on seed by just one ranking spot, but he still managed to get a favorable draw and has certainly taken advantage. The world No. 33 earned his place in the fourth round with a trio of four-set wins; two over fellow Germans Yannick Hanfmann and Alexander Zverev plus one at the expense of Matthew Ebden. Kohlschreiber is a proven force at the U.S. Open, with incredible consistency that has now taken him to the second week an impressive five times. But the 34-year-old is 0-4 lifetime in round four and his past struggles against Nishikori also suggest that the underdog’s time in New York is coming to an end.
Pick: Nishikori in 3
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