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Dominic Thiem begins his mission to defend his title at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna against the Japanese Kei nishikori. In the quarterfinals it could be a hit Andrey Rublev come.
by Michael Rothschädl
Last edit: Oct 25, 2020 7:49 am
By Michael Rothschädl of the Wiener Stadthalle
If you look at the first round of the Erste Bank Open, think more of a 16-round Grand Slam than an ATP 500 event. Grigor Dimitrov vs. Karen Khachanov, Pablo Carreño Busta vs. Gael Monfils, Daniil Medvedev vs. Alex de Minaur and Dominic Thiem vs. Kei Nishikori: The few spectators at the Wiener Stadthalle can expect a veritable flood of big matches on Monday and Tuesday.
Besides Novak Djokovic, the most anticipated player is without a doubt the defending champion Dominic Thiem, who is fighting for another home win at the Erste Bank Open. Along the way, however, there are some tough tasks to do, especially Kei Nishikori. The Japanese knows what it feels like to beat Dominic Thiem in Vienna, as he beat the Austrian in the quarter-finals in straight sets in 2018.
The omens before the next first-round clash are completely different this time. Dominic Thiem travels to his homeland in the wind of the first Grand Slam title, Kei Nishikori continues to seek his form after a COVID-19 infection at the start of the tour. The Japanese wanted to achieve two victories in his four appearances since September, the most recent at the French Open in the second round.
Wawrinka away from the top form
The hurdle in the second round is also extremely high on paper. With Stan Wawrinka, a triple Grand Slam champion could wait if the Swiss beat clay specialist Cristian Garin. Like Nishikori, Wawrinka, with whom Thiem recently started a training session at the new Austrian Tennis Committee (ATC) academy headed by Father Thiem, is far from his best form. Exclamation marks like the impressively clear win over Andy Murray have been followed in recent weeks by a setback like the even more surprising elimination to young Frenchman Hugo Gaston.
Despite the difficult draw, it is quite realistic that Dominic Thiem will be in the round of 16, in the quarter-finals of the ATP event in Vienna, towards the end of next week. In this one, Andrey Rublev, could hope for the greatest possible test. The Russian is performing in the way of his life these days, most recently in Hamburg and St. Petersburg with two titles in a row at the ATP 500 level.
Also possible in the semi-final duel with the Russians
The last match of the ATP tour between Dominic Thiem and Andrey Rublev dates from Hamburg: in 2019, when the young Russian surprisingly prevailed in two tiebreakers. The four-year-old Austrian won the first two matches. Even during the tour interruption, the two players known for their offensive playing style clashed, at Kitzbühel in “Thiem’s 7”. Thiem was able to win the group stage here, but then had to admit defeat to the 23-year-old in the final.
If Thiem also overcomes this hurdle, the next Russian could wait in the semifinals with Daniil Medvedev. Lichtenwörther had recently demystified the 24-year-old in the US Open semifinals in impressive fashion. And so he could reach the final of his dreams, the duel of number one against number two of the tournament, the new edition of the Australian Open final: Dominic Thiem and Novak Djokovic face off.
Here you can find all the information about the Erste Bank Open draw!
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