Roger Federer goes for his third win over Marin Cilic at the US Open on Saturday.
Federer will be perfectly satisfied with his first week's work so far in New York, easing through both matches in straight sets and dealing well with the swirling winds on Arthur Ashe stadium but today he will know he has to step things up a notch.
He smote 31 winners as he defeated Dudi Sela 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 in the second round and afterwards said, "Not much trouble on my serve, and from the baseline I also thought I had the upper hand. When it's like that, obviously it's tough for the opponent, but I just think I was superior today. It was a good match for me in breezy conditions."
Cilic has dealt very well with two of the tour's brightest young prospects in Bernard Tomic and Ryan Harrison, seeing both off in straight sets. It's been an up and down summer for the Croatian but he appears to have peaked just at the right time.
Obviously Federer's US Open record goes without question but Cilic has also enjoyed some of the finest results of his career at this event, beating Andy Murray in the fourth round a couple of years ago.
Federer knows what he's up against. The Cilic serve can be one of the most potent in the game and he possesses a fine backhand. However the well for Federer will be the Cilic forehand, a flat stroke which contains many technical imperfections and can be prone to breaking down at key points in matches.
Federer takes a 2-0 head-to-head lead into the match, beating Cilic earlier this year in Monte Carlo.
