ATP in Miami, 3rd Round, Monday, March 23, 2026, 9:00 PM
I just can’t get a certain Cilic vs. Zverev tip out of my head—one that believes the Croatian is capable of an upset. Because the veteran isn’t as hopeless as most bookmakers assume.
Players of a similar age to Wawrinka, Monfils, or Djokovic have already proven in 2026 that you can still compete at the top level even past the age of 35.
Zverev has also taken a liking to doubles. Just as he did in Indian Wells, he’s competing in this event in Miami alongside Marcelo Melo.
In my opinion, this additional workload could affect his third-round singles match.
In any case, I’m opening the Interwetten app and selecting the first-set pick: Cilic. I like the odds of around 3.80, and since he already managed to surprise Brandon Nakashima in the first round despite being the underdog, I wouldn’t want to completely write him off here.
Cilic vs. Zverev AI Predictions:
In this section, I’m expanding on my Cilic vs. Zverev tip above and presenting you with a bold but by no means far-fetched risk bet, where you can always fall back on an Interwetten free bet anyway.
I’m talking about Zverev winning after falling behind, currently at odds of around 7.80.
Because if the Croatian actually takes the first set, at 37 years old, it would be a whole different story whether he has enough left to win the match against a significantly younger opponent like Zverev (ranked 4th in the world).
Especially in the heat of Miami, Cilic could run out of steam late in the match following his grueling three-set victory over Brandon Nakashima in the second round. Zverev, on the other hand, is known for his physical strength in long matches, even though he had to dig deep in the doubles.
Predicted odds of winning:
| Cilic to win |
Zverev to win |
| 27% |
73% |
If you find the first set too risky, you can switch to Zverev to win 2-1 at odds of around 3.65. After all, the Hamburg native defeated Cilic in Madrid in May 2022 with exactly this score (4-6, 6-4, 6-4), after completely falling behind early on.
That’s exactly why “Over 2.5 sets” isn’t a fundamentally bad choice either. A look at the history books shows that this matchup often goes the full distance: In their last seven meetings, the two have gone to the decisive third or fifth set a whopping five times.
However, in the end, I would still recommend my previous tip. Because in all of those matches, the German ultimately emerged victorious—whether by a 2-0 or 2-1 margin.
Therefore, especially now that age (Cilic is 37, Zverev 28) is playing an increasingly significant role in the long rallies amid Florida’s humid heat, he will lose at most one set but will ultimately win the match.
What to keep in mind for Cilic vs. Zverev bets
- Each of the last seven head-to-head matches between the two players went to Zverev, which clearly underscores his psychological dominance in this matchup.
- Only one of Cilic’s last eight matches has gone to more than two sets, as he’s currently wrapping up his matches very quickly.
- Cilic hasn’t beaten a top-10 player in over two years, indicating an ongoing slump against the absolute elite of the ATP Tour.
- Zverev’s best result at the Miami Open was reaching the final in 2018, when he was narrowly defeated in the championship match.
