37-Year-Old Cilic Overpowers Shapovalov, Reaches Australian Open Third Round for First Time Since 2022

At 37, Marin Cilic Shows No Signs of Slowing Down: Dominates Shapovalov in Straight Sets to Return to Australian Open Third Round

© AFP

Adrien Guyot

le 22/01/2026 à 09h01

1 min to read

Cilic Marin Open d'Australie Shapovalov Denis

Marin Cilic is impressing early in the tournament in Melbourne. The 37-year-old Croat, who turned heads against Daniel Altmaier in the first round (6-0, 6-0, 7-6), faced Denis Shapovalov for the sixth time.

To level their head-to-head at 3-3, the world No. 70 needed to defeat the ever-unpredictable Canadian. Moreover, the No. 23 in the ATP rankings did not seem to be having his best day.

Former Melbourne Finalist Cilic Advances to Third Round

With 42 unforced errors (for only 12 winners), Shapovalov could not trouble his opponent much further. The 2014 US Open champion won the match in three sets (6-4, 6-3, 6-2 in 2 hours 8 minutes) and now holds the edge over the 26-year-old in their first meeting since 2021.

The 2018 tournament finalist advances to the third round. For a spot in the round of 16, he will face Casper Ruud or Jaume Munar. This is moreover the first time Cilic has reached the third round at the Australian Open since 2022.

He had lost at the time to Félix Auger-Aliassime in the fourth round. Despite the weight of age, Cilic remains a threat in the majors. As for Shapovalov, he suffers a fourth defeat in his last five matches.