Tight first set beckons as Murray squares off with Cilic at US Open

Andy Murray should have little trouble surging past Marin Cilic in the quarter finals of the US Open, but there are grounds to believe that the first set will be tight.

It is 1/10 that Murray reaches his seventh semi final from the last eight Grand Slams and this clearly is not the most attractive price for punters.

However, Murray has progressed in seven of their eight career encounters, including a straight-set victory at Wimbledon in July.

It is 4/7 that Murray wins 3-0 again here, which is more than plausible if repeating the level of performance he displayed in the fourth round when beating Milos Raonic.

Cilic is better than Raonic in terms of his movement, but he has a tendency to suffer bad patches in matches and this is something that Murray can take advantage of.

However, Murray has not been totally consistent at the US Open thus far and Cilic has the capability of making a game of it if the Brit is functioning at only 80 per cent.

There will almost certainly be some punters who feel that 5/2 is a fair price on Murray winning 3-1.

Cilic is 6/1 to upset Murray and this has been done at the US Open previously, when the Croat claimed his only head-to-head victory at Flushing Meadow in 2009.

But Murray has improved since, notably in terms of his forehand and serve and so a repeat looks out of the question.

What is notable looking at their career meetings is that five of their last six showdowns have had a first set that has been settled either 7-5 or via a tie breaker.

Therefore, the 4/6 on offer that the first set witnesses at least 10 games may be the best price on offer for the quarter final.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.