Round 2 of the ATP Erste Bank Open in Vienna sees some exciting matchups, including a rematch of the final of the remarkable Cincinnati tournament that saw Borna Coric rise back to prominence. Andrey Rublev and Dominic Thiem are still in the draw as returning champions, and Rublev looks set for finals contention while Thiem continued his comeback bid with a good win over Tommy Paul in Round 1. Can either former champion repeat? We make our Day 4 predictions. What do you think? We also have predictions for matches featuring Daniil Medvedev.
ATP Vienna Day 4 Predictions
Andrey Rublev vs Grigor Dimitrov
Head-to-head: Rublev 3-2
Dimitrov has not looked good at all since a win over Cameron Norrie during grass court season. Rublev is not a player you want to face on hard court anyway, but he is also flying high after a title in Gijon (his third hard court trophy this year, and ninth in his career). Rublev is nearing 50 victories this season, and has nearly an 80% win percentage. Dimitrov is sub-.500 on the year on hard courts, strangely finding his best success on clay. Rublev is in the mix for another title here, and should be motivated to try to get this done quickly, especially after moving past Diego Schwartzman in straight sets.
Prediction: Rublev in 2
Hubert Hurkacz vs Emil Ruusuvuori
Head-to-head: 1-1
This is a weird one. Hurkacz is favored by ranking, but they are playing almost identically on hard courts this year, and in their careers overall (by win percentage, though Hurkacz has four titles on the surface to Ruusuvuori’s zero). They also split their H2Hs, which were both on hard courts, in back-to-back tournaments over the summer. Their playing style is also similar, and Ruusuvuori could be considered a small Hubert Hurkacz. That makes this a tight one, and it could go either way, but Hurkacz edges out the Fin overall.
Prediction: Hurkacz in 3
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Borna Coric
Head-to-head: Coric 2-1
This is an extremely difficult match to call. Coric is back in the Top 30 after his shocking Cincinnati run, and he’s played well enough since, but not up to the same level. Tsitsipas has been a steamroller this year, up to 57 victories now, but he was the runner-up to Coric in that incredible Cincinnati tournament. And not only did Coric beat Tsitsipas in straight sets in the final, but he won their other hard court H2H as well, and lost the clay matchup only because he had to retire while up 4-1 in the first set.
All matchup signs point to Coric, but can you really pick against Tsitsipas? He has been consistent and strong all year, although it’s worth noting that neither of his two titles this year were on hard court. This one could go either way, and while I really want to pick Coric, he has no good wins since Cincinnati.
Prediction: Tsitsipas in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
