PUNE – Grand Slam winner Marin Cilic’s preparation for the Australian Open got off to the perfect start on Wednesday with an easy victory in the last-16 of the ATP Maharashtra Open.
The world number six breezed into the quarter finals of the $550 000 tournament, held in the Indian city of Pune, with a straight-sets win over local wildcard Ramkumar Ramanathan.
Cilic, the 2014 US Open champion and number one seed in Pune, won 6-4 6-3.
It was the Croatian’s first match of the hardcourt event after he received a bye in the opening round.
Cilic will take on Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert, ranked 81st in the world, in Thursday’s last-eight tie.
. @KAndersonATP advanced to the quarters after @dThiagoMonteiro had to retire due to an injury. The final score read (7-6, 3-2 ret'd) in favour of the South African but Monteiro fought like a true warrior. 👏
Catch the highlights! 📹 #AdvantagePune #TataOpenMaharashtra pic.twitter.com/E9B0UKNRjL
— Tata Open Maharashtra (@MaharashtraOpen) January 3, 2018
South African number two seed Kevin Anderson also won his last-16 match after Thiago Monteiro of Brazil retired hurt in the second set with the score at 7-6 3-2 in favour of Anderson.
When your two favourite sports collide! 🏏🎾 👍 #cricket #tennis #AdvantagePune #MaharashtraOpen pic.twitter.com/mkkOnVDg7M
— Kevin Anderson (@KAndersonATP) January 3, 2018
Fourth seed Benoit Paire beat Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics, but it was a miserable day for defending champion and third seed Roberto Bautista Agut.
The Spaniard, 20th in the ATP standings, was dumped out of the competition 6-3 7-6 (7/5) by France’s Gilles Simon, ranked a lowly 89th.
Agut claimed the title last year when it was known as the Chennai Open.
The Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year, starts on January 15.