Tsonga – Cilic

Jo Wilfried Tsonga will try to build on two solid results in the previous rounds in order to down Marin Cilic in the Monte Carlo third round – with the Croat also boosted by a good showing in the previous round.


Tsonga defeated Goffin 6-3 6-4 yesterday, an excellent result to back up the straight sets win he had over Struff in the first round and some good tennis from Jo Wilfried as well. I did not expect Tsonga to win, looking at the fact that it was just his 4th match of the season after a few months in which he did not train – but it was also his most consistent one. However, the 6-3 6-4 result was a little harsh, as Goffin had his chances, particularly in the second set, he simply did not take them.

Cilic defeated Florian Mayer in three sets in his second round opener, not the sharpest performance against a player coming back from injury, but some good tennis from Cilic and the win was never in doubt. Marin is looking to get back his rhythm, as he was awful after winning the US Open last year and played just two matches this year because of injuries and a personal choice to focus more on training. This is a good chance for him, he has one win under his belt and faces a still rusty Tsonga.



The Head 2 Head is 3-3, but if we write off to challenger matches from 2007, Cilic leads 3-1 – including winning the last two meetings in straight sets. The two players never met on clay.

I reckon Tsonga deserves to be a favorite in this one, his level of tennis was pretty good this week – however, the odds are way too low for a player that played only 4 times this year and who obviously still has a lot of room to improve. Cilic was injured and did not play more himself (2 matches this year), but at least he has been in training mode, fit to train this season and played more at the end of last year. Marin is not playing at his best level either, but he has been very competitive against Florian Mayer and I`d say he`s more or less at the same level as Tsonga right now. Fair odds would be about 1.75 for the Frenchman as far as I`m concerned, so I`m all over Cilic to win at the current price.

The Croat should also be the fitter of the two if the match goes to a deciding set. My tip is a Cilic win. Correct score prediction: Jo Wilfried Tsonga – Marin Cilic 6-2 5-7 6-7.

Live streaming for JW Tsonga vs. Marin Cilic available for players at Bet365.com.

Pick: Cilic
Odds: 2.83