US Open: Former champ Cilic sets up clash of generations against Alcaraz in fourth round
Marin Cilic edged out Daniel Evans 7-6 (11), 6-7 (3), 6-2, 7-5 on Saturday evening to reach the last 16 at the US Open for the seventh time in his career
Former US Open champion Marin Cilic, aged 33, is back into the fourth round of the only Major he has won after beating Dan Evans in four sets to set up an exciting clash against third seed Carlos Alcaraz.
Cilic, who triumphed here in 2014, split the first two sets in tiebreaks with Evans before coming out a 7-6 (11), 6-7 (3), 6-2, 7-5 in 3 hours and 59 minutes.
In his first two rounds this week, Cilic defeated German qualifier Maximilian Marterer (6-3, 6-2, 7-5) and Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas (6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-3).
Alcaraz leads Cilic 2-1 in career head-to-head
This is the seventh time in 13 US Opens that Cilic is through to the fourth round, where he will meet the 19-year-old Spanish sensation Carlos Alcaraz.
The Spaniard leads the head-to-head between the two players 2-1, having wo both their matches this year in straight sets.
Alcaraz won 6-4, 6-4 in the round of 32 in Miami in March and 7-6, 6-1 in Cincinnati last month. Cilic’s only win over the teenager, who has a chance to become world No 1 after the US Open, came on clay last year in three sets.
US Open, New York City (Grand Slam), other third-round results
- Ilya Ivashka beat Lorenzo Musetti (26): 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3
- Frances Tiafoe (22) beat Diego Schwartzman (14): 7-6 (7), 6-4, 6-4
- Carlos Alcaraz beat Jenson Brooksby: 6-3, 6-3, 6-3
- Andrey Rublev (9) beat Denis Shapovalov (19): 6-4, 2-6, 6-7 (3), 6-4, 7-6 (7)
- Cameron Norrie (7) beat Holger Rune (28): 7-5, 6-4, 6-1
- Daniil Medvedev (1) beat Yibing Wu (Q): 6-4, 6-2, 6-2
- Nick Kyrgios (23) beat J.J. Wolf (WC): 6-4, 6-2, 6-3
- Pablo Carreno Busta (12) beat Alex De Minaur (18): 6-1, 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (5)
- Corentin Moutet (LL) beat Pedro Cachin: 6-3, 4-6, 6-2, 7-5
- Karen Khachanov (27) beat Jack Draper: 6-3, 4-6, 6-5 ret.
- Casper Ruud (5) beat Tommy Paul (29): 7-6 (3), 6-7 (5), 7-6 (2), 5-7, 6-0
- Matteo Berrettini (13) beat Andy Murray: 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (1), 6-3
- Alejandro Davidovich Fokina beat Daniel Elahi Galan (Q): 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4