Italian Open in Rome, 2nd Round, Wednesday, 11.05.2022
Not among the absolute top favourites, but always good for a strong tournament and a surprisingly positive result – although the Italian Open in Rome has not even reached the round of 16 yet, we can already expect real top duels.
One of them will be between two players who have not always been able to call up their top form in recent weeks. In my Cilic Norrie tip, I reveal why I, like the bookmakers, expect a fairly close result!
As world number 11 Cameron Norrie should be one of the favourites at every tournament, but how strong will the Briton really be in Rome? Norrie has only won one match in his career here so far, not counting the qualifying.
So if he manages to win on Wednesday, it would be his best result ever. It was already clear from his opening match that he and the red Roman sand were not love at first sight.
Against Luca Nardi, an 18-year-old who is not even ranked in the world’s top 200, he struggled to a 6-4, 6-4. 55% of his first serve went successfully over the net, and that definitely has to improve against Marin Cilic.
In Madrid, the Briton showed two completely different faces. Against Soon-woo Kwon he almost retired, but then he beat John Isner. The most impressive was actually a defeat, 4-6, 7-6, 3-6 against Carlos Alcaraz.
It’s been a long time since anyone had the Spaniard this close to defeat. Before the Italian Open, six of his last seven matches had three sets, so his fans can only dream of quick results.
It was also very close in the first and so far only duel with Marin Cilic. Last year in Estoril, Norrie secured a 7-6, 7-5 win that could not have been closer
Marin Cilic also started his Masters in Rome with an encounter against a local talent, securing a 6-1, 6-4 over Matteo Arnaldi. In doing so, he fared a little better than opponent Norrie.
The Croatian has been competing in this tournament for 14 years now, his results showing both light and shade. In 2018, he did best, advancing to the semi-finals. There, he was narrowly eliminated by Alexander Zverev after a great battle.
It was also Zverev who inflicted a defeat on him in Madrid a few days ago. The match was close again at 6-4, 4-6, 4-6, so Cilic’s form is by no means bad. However, the 33-year-old veteran does have a few lapses.
While he fights to the death against really strong opponents and delivers his performance, he can also drop out against outsiders. So it’s a good thing that Cameron Norrie is by no means one of the underdogs.
My Cilic Norrie Tip
The bookmakers have narrowly chosen Cameron Norrie as their favourite, I find it hard to pick a definite better player after my analysis. Also the only direct duel so far showed two pros on the same level.
I therefore consider it impossible that the Briton, who has been known for three-setters for months, will pull off a triumph on the fast track.
My tip is therefore: Cilic will win at least one set!
