Former Australian Open Runner-up Marin Čilić will face the 12th-seeded Casper Ruud in the third round of the 2026 Australian Open. While Ruud is looking to equal his best-ever run in Melbourne, Čilić is turning back the clock and hoping to have one last significant result before he calls it a day.
Marin Čilić vs Casper Ruud Match Details
Date: Jan. 24, 2026
Tournament: Australian Open 2026
Round: Third Round (Round of 32)
Venue: Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia
Surface: Outdoor Hard
Category: Grand Slam
Live Telecast: Tennis Channel, TSN, RDS, Sky Sports
Čilić vs Ruud Head-to-Head
After four meetings, it is Ruud who has a 4-0 lead in the head-to-head against Čilić. The two of them last played in Stockholm last year, where the Norwegian won 7-6 (2), 6-4.
Čilić started his season at the Hong Kong Open, where he lost to Nuno Borges in the second round. At the Australian Open, the Croatian began his campaign with an excellent 6-0, 6-0, 7-6 (3) win against Daniel Altmaier in the first round. In the second round, he caused a big upset, winning 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 against 21st-seeded Denis Shapovalov.
Ruud did not have a great start to 2026, as the Norwegian had one win and one loss at the United Cup, then suffered an opening-round loss to Fabian Marozsan in Auckland. In Melbourne, he began his campaign with a 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 win over Mattia Bellucci, followed by a 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 victory over Jaume Munar in the second round.
Čilić vs Ruud Prediction
The first serve has been a potent weapon for Čilić in his two matches in Melbourne so far, as he has won 86% of the points behind his serve. On return, he has won 12 service breaks in two matches. He has faced seven break points on his serve, five of which he has saved, while hitting 25 aces in two matches.
Ruud has won 79% of his first-serve points in the two matches he has played in Melbourne so far, as the Norwegian has not lost his serve once across six sets. He has been effective in return games, securing 8 service breaks across two matches, but his break-point conversion rate of 33% has scope for improvement.
Ruud has been in fine form in Australia so far, with the Norwegian’s forehand working well on the hard courts in Melbourne. Čilić, on the other hand, has been playing serve-dominated tennis so far, but it will be difficult for the Croatian to hold serve as easily against a high-quality returner like Ruud. The individual head-to-head also gives the 12th seed a significant edge, and keeping all that in mind, the PFSN Simulator has given Ruud a 69% win probability.
Pick- Ruud to win in straight sets
