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Every game here at the Stadthalle would have the ultimate potential this year, Dominic Thiem enthused before the € 1.551 million Erste Bank Open at the Wiener Stadthalle. Today (not before 5.30pm) the Austrian tennis star, defending champion in his local tournament, is waiting for former top ten Kei Nishikori, not as planned, but for Ukrainian Vitali Satschko. Thiem’s friend Dennis Novak had to bow 7: 6 (2), 4: 6, 6: 7 (6) yesterday after a tough fight with Vienna 2018 winner Kevin Anderson.
Nishikori had to pass away last night due to a shoulder injury, the last time the Japanese was out in many months with an elbow injury. Now Satschko is the replacement. In fact, he lost in the second qualifying round and is ranked 453 in the world rankings, while Thiem is third.
“My batteries charge again after the break,” says Thiem. After his quarter-finals in Paris, this year’s US Open winner took a short break. Most recently, he trained in Vienna with world number one Novak Djokovic, who is also serving in Vienna for the first time since winning the title in 2007 and meeting fellow Serbian Filip Krajinovic.
Bitter was Novak’s end against former world number five Kevin Anderson. The 27-year-old missed three match points in the tiebreaker. Jurij Rodionov’s first match against Denis Shapovalov was still underway when printing began.
Rodionov achieved sensation
It was much better for Jurij Rodionov. Under Denis Shapovalov, Lower Austria threw world number 12 6: 4 and 7: 5 at the Vienna tournament. “At first it started like the railroad, but then I was able to adapt,” Rodionov said.
Melzer becomes head of sports
Former Austrian tennis number one Jürgen Melzer will end his professional career in the coming months and will be sporting director of the Austrian Tennis Association (ÖTV) from February. The 39-year-old wants to play until the Australian Open in January. At yesterday’s press conference, Vorarlberg Magnus Brunner was also introduced as the new president of ÖTV. The 48-year-old ÖVP politician is secretary of state in the Ministry of the Environment. Most recently, Christina Toth was the association’s director on an interim basis.
