Paris Masters 2020: Marin Cilic vs Corentin Moutet preview, head-to-head & prediction

Match details

Fixture: Marin Cilic vs Corentin Moutet

Date: 3 November 2020

Tournament: Paris Masters 2020

Round: Round of 32 (Second round)

Venue: Paris, France

Category: ATP Masters 1000

Surface: Indoor hardcourt

Prize money: €3,901,015

Match timing: Approx 6 pm local time, 10.30 pm IST

Live telecast: USA - ESPN / Tennis Channel | India - Sony Six / Sony Liv

Marin Cilic vs Corentin Moutet preview

Corentin Moutet at the 2020 US Open

Marin Cilic faces off against Frenchman Corentin Moutet in the second round of the 2020 Rolex Paris Masters on Tuesday.

Cilic was in woeful form coming into the tournament, with a 13-10 W/L record in 2020. The Croat hasn't gone past the quarterfinal stage of any tournament he has entered, looking like a pale shadow of the player that once rose to third in the world rankings and reached three Grand Slam finals.

The 2014 US Open champion started his indoor hardcourt swing with a couple of underwhelming results in the double header of tournaments played at Cologne. But he put in an impressive performance on Monday, defeating World No. 21 Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-0 3-6 6-3 in the first round of the Paris Masters.

Home favorite Corentin Moutet has had a streaky 2020 season himself. The Frenchman went on an incredible run to start the year, going from qualification to runner-up run in Doha and beating the likes of Stan Wawrinka and Milos Raonic along the way, but he hasn't had much joy since.

Moutet, in fact, came into the tournament on a three-match losing streak. He looked in danger of extending that even further as he dropped the first set against Salvatore Caruso on Monday, but the 21-year-old quickly bounced back to win in three.

Marin Cilic vs Corentin Moutet head-to-head

The matchup in Paris is the second between the two players on tour. Marin Cilic leads the head-to-head 1-0 over Corentin Moutet after the Croat prevailed 6-3 6-2 6-4 in their first round encounter at the Australian Open this year.

Marin Cilic vs Corentin Moutet prediction

Marin Cilic at the 2020 US Open

Despite being highly inconsistent for a large chunk of this year, Marin Cilic comes into the match against Corentin Moutet as the favorite. After a confidence-boosting win over Auger-Aliassime, Cilic will be looking to put together a good run of form and go deep at Paris Bercy - where he reached the semifinal in 2016.

The Croat made good use of his massive serve in the first round, with a 76% first serve success rate. He also managed to keep his unforced errors to a minimum, something he has struggled with in the past.

Corentin Moutet has the talent and foot speed to keep up with most players from the baseline, and possesses a potent lefty forehand. But Cilic's serve and forehand combination along with his natural power worked very well against Auger-Aliassime, and could see him cross the finish line against Moutet too.

Prediction: Marin Cilic to win in straight sets.