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Match details
Fixture: (8) Marin Cilic vs. Marcos Giron*
Date: 13 October 2020
Tournament: Bett1Hulks Indoors 2020
Round: First round (Round of 32)
Venue: Cologne, Germany
Category: ATP 250 Series
Surface: Indoor Hardcourt
Prize money: €325,610
Match timing: Approx. 4 pm CEST, 7.30 pm IST
Live telecast: USA - ESPN / Tennis Channel
*Note: An earlier version of this article stated that Marin Cilic would be playing Ricardas Berankis in the first round. However, Berankis has now withdrawn from the tournament and he has been replaced by Marcos Giron in the draw.
Marin Cilic vs Marcos Giron preview
Marin Cilic comes into this tournament on the back of some difficult draws since the season resumed in August. He lost in the first round of the Cincinnati Masters to Denis Shapovalov, both the third round of the US Open and the first round of the French Open to Dominic Thiem, and the round of 16 of the Italian Open to Casper Ruud.
Now ranked No. 40 in the world, Cilic will be hoping that getting back to indoor hardcourts will help rediscover his winning ways. His first opponent in Cologne is 27-year-old Marcos Giron of the USA.
Giron qualified for the Western & Southern Open, going down to Daniil Medvedev in the second round. He then reached the second round of both the US Open and the French Open, where he lost to Filip Krajinovic and Thiago Monteiro respectively.
Marin Cilic vs Marcos Giron head-to-head
Marin Cilic and Marcos Giron have never played each other before, so their head-to-head currently stands at 0-0.
Marin Cilic vs Marcos Giron prediction
Marcos Giron has had a decent couple of months since the end of lockdown, registering wins over a few higher-ranked opponents. He has a strong serve and good forehand, and will be looking to use both those shots to put Marin Cilic on the backfoot.
At 6 ft 6 inches, Marin Cilic is one of the taller players on the tour, and his game is based on a big serve and big groundstrokes. For someone of his height, the Croat covers the court pretty well too.
If Cilic is able to get a high percentage of first serves in and play to his strengths, he should be able to win this without too much trouble.
Prediction: Marin Cilic to win in straight sets.
