It’s a stacked line-up for the second day of the 2023 Erste Bank Open. Frances Tiafoe and Daniel Evans will play for the 9th time, while Tommy Paul continues his quest to fight for an ATP Finals spot. Who do you think will advance to the next stage at ATP Vienna?
ATP Vienna Day 2 Predictions
Aleksandar Vukic vs Tomas Machac
Head-to-head: First meeting
Aleksandar Vukic hasn’t really produced anything spectacular at the ATP level after Atlanta and it doesn’t feel certain at all that he’ll still be in this sort of ranking range in twelve months’ time. He’s not going to be the favorite here as Tomas Machac is enjoying a great indoor campaign. Back-to-back high-profile Challenger titles, probably should have beaten Laslo Djere in Stockholm last week. Despite the short turnaround for Vienna, he looked unstoppable in the qualifying too.
Prediction: Machac in 2
Alexandre Muller vs Tommy Paul
Head-to-head: First meeting
Tommy Paul is one of the players with a decent chance of making the ATP Finals, even if he’s sitting at No. 12 in the ATP Race. He needs big results, though, and missed a bit of a chance in Tokyo last week (no shame in losing to the eventual champion, though). This feels like a great opportunity for him as he’s facing Alexandre Muller, who, despite qualifying, hasn’t really shown that much at the ATP Tour off-clay. Given his usual consistency, the American shouldn’t waste this draw.
Prediction: Paul in 2
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Frances Tiafoe vs Daniel Evans
Head-to-head: 4-4
This has been an exciting rivalry over the years, especially with how close it’s always been. They’re tied in 2023 (1-1), they’re also tied indoors (2-2). From their first match at Knoxville Challenger back in 2015, neither had ever held a lead of three wins in the head-to-head. Who wins in Vienna this year? Both players have been rather up-and-down recently, especially Frances Tiafoe, who hasn’t won a match (outside the Laver Cup) since the US Open. Should be another tight battle, conditions may be a bit more favorable to the 2021 runner-up.
Prediction: Tiafoe in 3
Grigor Dimitrov vs Lorenzo Musetti
Head-to-head: Musetti 1-0
Grigor Dimitrov has been an absolute beast in his opening-round matches in 2023, losing just twice the whole season (via retirement to Kubler at Indian Wells and to Zverev in Cincinnati). Now he gets an opponent who handled him a pretty disappointing loss two years ago, although it obviously looks a lot better in hindsight. Back then, Lorenzo Musetti wasn’t recognized as a decent hard-court player, now he is. His form has been mediocre, though, and the indoor conditions favor Dimitrov for sure.
Prediction: Dimitrov in 2
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke – USA TODAY Sports
