Marin Cilic turned back the clock in the second round of the Miami Open, defeating Brandon Nakashima in three sets.
After beating former Masters champion Alexei Popyrin in the first round, the Cilic came back from a set down to overcome 27th seed Nakashima.
In round three of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament, the Croat will take on Alexander Zverev for the ninth time in his career.
Where will Alexander Zverev finish 2026 ranked?
Cilic’s appearance at the Miami Open is just his sixth at a Masters tournament since the beginning of 2023, having been sidelined for much of the past few seasons with a knee injury.
He has just guaranteed his best finish at a Masters since 2022, and he has also just made history with the win over Nakashima.
Marin Cilic becomes fourth to achieve rare ATP feat
Having fought back from a set down against the American, Cilic became the fourth player ever aged 37 or older to claim a comeback victory at the Miami Open.
Since the inception of the Masters format in 1990, the only other players to manage this are Roger Federer, Jimmy Connors and Gael Monfils, according to Opta Ace.
Serena Williams picked Roger Federer as the G.O.A.T.
Cilic is bidding to reach the fourth round of an ATP Masters 1000 event for the first time since the 2021 season.
That year, he advanced to the stage by beating Lorenzo Musetti, but ultimately fell to Andrey Rublev.
The former US Open champion clinched his last title in 2024, when he emerged victorious in Hangzhou.
Marin Cilic’s lopsided record against Alexander Zverev on the tour
Cilic will have a very difficult third-round assignment in the form of Zverev, whom he has not beaten since 2015.
He won their first career clash that year in Washington, but since then, Cilic has failed to beat Zverev in seven attempts.
Zverev picked up six wins in the rivalry between 2016 and 2018, and won their most recent meeting at the 2022 Madrid Open.
Now, they will do battle against; this time for a place in the fourth round of the 2026 Miami Open.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
