The ATP Moscow Kremlin Cup gets underway in Russia on indoor hard courts. Marin Cilic is one of the top players in action and will open his tournament against Damir Dzumhur. Here are all your predictions for the first day of the tournament.
John Millman vs Benjamin Bonzi
Millman has been relatively successful since the hard court season got underway in July. Reaching quarters in Washington, Astana, and Sofia, plus a win in Indian Wells most recently. Bonzi has been on an incredible run, he won 15 straight matches after the US Open, all on the ATP Challenger tour, though he’s had a couple of losses since that streak ended. Bonzi has never been an ATP caliber player but this is a career year for the Frenchman. With that said, Millman’s most recent form makes the weight of evidence for this match tilt in favor of the Australian. Millman in 2
Damir Dzumhur vs Marin Cilic
Cilic won the only meeting between these players, both these players are years removed from their best tennis, Dzumhur qualified for this tournament, having last played on the ATP Tour in Umag where he reached the quarterfinals in a surprising run. Cilic had to retire from his US Open match and this is his first match back. The Croatian carries a three match losing streak and hasn’t made a dent on the ATP Tour since the grass court season. Despite how poorly Cilic is playing, if he’s even somewhat fit, he should be a slight favorite over Dzumhur. This is a battle of players who both have won a good number of matches in Moscow. Cilic in 3
James Duckworth vs Borna Gojo
Gojo had a challenger semifinal recently, and has posted some modest successes on the Challenger Tour, while still lacking that ATP breakthrough result. Gojo came through qualifying and looks to be in decent form. Duckworth was the winner of Astana and a quarterfinalist in Sofia though and is a more reliable ATP level player at the moment. This match will be close, but Duckworth should have the upper hand. Duckworth in 2
Main Photo from Getty Images
