ATP in Miami, 3rd round, Monday, 23/03/2026, 21:00
A certain Cilic Zverev tip, which believes the Croatian can pull off a surprise, just can’t get out of my head. Because the veteran is not 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 keep up on the top stage beyond the age of 35.
Zverev has also taken a liking to doubles. As in Indian Wells, he will also compete in this competition in Miami with Marcelo Melo.
In my opinion, this additional burden could affect his third-round singles appearance.
In any case, I grab the Interwetten app and select the selection 1st set: Cilic. Because I like the odds of about 3.80, and after he was able to surprise Brandon Nakashima in the first round despite being an underdog role, I wouldn’t want to write him off completely here.
Cilic vs. Zverev AI predictions:
In this part, I will continue my Cilic Zverev tip above and present you with a courageous, but by no means absurd risk bet, where you can fall back on an Interwetten free bet at any time anyway.
We are talking about Zverev wins after falling behind to odds of currently approx. 7.80.
Because if the first set actually goes to the Croatian, it would be a completely different question with already 37 years under his belt, whether it would be enough to win the match against a much younger opponent like Zverev (4th place in the world rankings).
Especially in the heat of Miami, Cilic could win after his hard three-set victory against Brandon Nakashima in the second round at the back running out of steam. Zverev, on the other hand, is known for his physical strength in long matches, even if he had to give up grain in doubles.
Predicted chance of winning:
| Victory Cilic |
Victory Zverev |
| 27% |
73% |
If the first set is too tricky for you, you can switch to Zverev wins 2:1 at odds of about 3.65. The Hamburg native finally won in May 2022 in Madrid against Cilic with exactly this result (4:6, 6:4, 6:4), after he had completely slept through the start.
That’s exactly why Over 2.5 sets is not a fundamentally wrong choice. A look at the history books shows that this duel often goes the full distance: In the last seven matches, the two had to go a proud five times into the decisive third or fifth set.
However, in the end I would rather recommend my previous tip . Because out of all these games in the end the German always emerges as the winner – regardless of whether it is 2-0 or 2-1.
Therefore, especially now, when age (Cilic is 37, Zverev 28) plays an increasingly important role in the long rallies in the humid heat of Florida, he will lose a set at best, but bring the match home.
This is what you need to consider when betting on Cilic vs. Zverev
- Each of the last seven direct duels between the two players went to Zverev, which clearly underlines his psychological dominance in this pairing.
- Only one of Cilic’s last eight games saw more than two sets, as he usually decides his matches very quickly at the moment.
- Cilic has not beaten a top 10 player for over two years, which indicates a continuing form crisis against the absolute world class of the ATP Tour.
- Zverev’s best result at the Miami Open was his participation in the final in 2018, when he was only narrowly defeated in the final. .
