Jannik Sinner vs Marin Cilic Beijing Prediction 9/26/2025 Today’s Tennis Picks

World No. 2 Jannik Sinner will face former US Open champion Marin Cilic in the first round of the 2025 China Open in Beijing. The match is scheduled for Friday, September 26. Here’s our Jannik Sinner vs Marin Cilic prediction. This preview will also include a Jannik Sinner vs Marin Cilic pick.

Jannik Sinner vs Marin Cilic Preview

Jannik Sinner is the top seed at the China Open. Sinner lost the No. 1 ranking to Carlos Alcaraz after losing to the Spaniard in the US Open final earlier this month. But Alcaraz chose to play in Tokyo this week instead of defending his title in Beijing. Therefore, Sinner is the highest-ranked player in the draw and the clear-cut favorite for the title.

Sinner is making his third appearance at the China Open. He won the title in 2023 and finished runner-up to Alcaraz last season in an incredible final. Overall, Sinner has compiled 37 wins and only five losses in 2025. Remarkably, he’s won two Grand Slams despite missing three months for serving a suspension from the tour over two failed doping tests dating back to last year.

Marin Cilic is a Grand Slam champion and one of the trickiest first rounds for Sinner. Cilic is making his seventh main draw appearance at the China Open, having made his debut all the way back in 2007. He’s reached two finals and lost both, but he hasn’t played this event since 2014, when he lost in the quarterfinal stage.

Cilic won a title during last season’s Asian swing in Hangzhou. This year, he lost in the opening round of his title defense, and this will be his second tournament of the swing. Cilic is currently on a five-match losing streak. His last win was in the third round of Wimbledon in July.

Jannik Sinner vs Marin Cilic Head-To-Head

Sinner beat Cilic in three sets in their only career meeting at the 2021 Davis Cup.

Jannik Sinner vs Marin Cilic Prediction

We are backing the overs in the total games. Cilic has lost 16 times this season, and only once has he failed to register at least five games in the match. That includes a match against Alcaraz earlier this season, where he won eight games in a straight-sets defeat. While Sinner should get his campaign up and running in style, this match should be competitive.