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Defender of the title Dominic Thiem He had a difficult quarter at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna: in the first round he goes directly against the Japanese Kei Nishikori.
by Florian Goosmann
Last edit: October 24, 2020, 1:49 pm
© Getty Images
Former world number four Nishikori is currently only ranked 36th in the world after many long injuries, most recently out for a year. Since his return to the Generali Open in Kitzbühel, he has only won two of the six matches.
However, in direct comparison to Thiem, Nishikori leads 3: 2; Among other things, he won the quarter-finals in Vienna in 2018 with 6: 3, 6: 1. The last match, in the 2018 ATP Finals, was won by Thiem.
Stan Wawrinka has to deal with Cristian Garin: the winner would wait for Thiem. In the quarterfinals, Thiem could face the current strongman Jannik Sinner or Andrey Rublev. A possible opponent in the semifinals could be fourth-seeded Daniil Medvedev.
Djokovic Tops
First seed Novak Djokovic faces compatriot Filip Krajinovic early on. The Djoker had decided on short notice to start in Vienna. Background too: here you can still accumulate 500 points for the world ranking. In Paris-Bercy, on the other hand, he will be absent, as the defending champion couldn’t get any points there anyway, and there are no deductions due to the special constellation of the world rankings in 2020.
Djokovic wants to break the record for weeks as world number one in 2020.
Thiem’s elimination match against Djokovic could only come in the final.
Thiem had won the Erste Bank Open 2019 for the first time and, thanks to his victory in Kitzbühel, had previously achieved the “Austria Double”.
Difficult tasks for Dennis Novak and Jurij Rodionov too
Keep playing: Dennis Novak, via wild card on the field, against Kevin Anderson; and Jurij Rodionov, also a wild card, against Denis Shapovalov (eighth seeded). Jan-Lennard Struff meets Stefanos Tsitsipas (sitting in three!).
“There is not much to say about it, it was clear that every match would be difficult. But I don’t feel balanced, two tournament favorites are missing,” tournament director Herwig Straka said in an initial statement. “Dominic Thiem’s fourth is strong, so he will have to fight. There have been a lot of great games since the first round.
Doubles: Thiem and Novak at the beginning
Thiem will also start doubles in Vienna, along with teammate Dennis Novak. The two meet Jamie Murray / Neal Skupski at first. In the event of a victory, Dimitrov / Wawrinka or the two-seeded duo Rajeev Ram / Joe Salisbury could wait.
Jürgen Melzer / Edouard Roger-Vasselin meet Daniel Evans / Oliver Marach. The winners of the German French Open Kevin Krawietz / Andreas Mies start with John Peers / Michael Venus. Mate Pavic and Bruno Soares are the first.
Erste Bank Open 2020 at the Wiener Stadthalle: all information, TV, players, favorites
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