Stefanos Tsitsipas and Dominic Thiem have already delivered a couple of classics this year. Both players have a career-high ranking for World No. 3 and are among the main stars of the game, even if the Austrian might not be at his peak at the moment. Can he beat at one of his home events? Who do you think will come out on top at ATP Vienna?
ATP Vienna Day 2 Predictions
Alexei Popyrin vs Andrey Rublev
Head-to-head: First meeting
Alexei Popyrin already has 22 main tour wins this year, exactly the same as his personal best from 2019. He’s also 3-1 against top 10 opponents this season and this record will be put to the test year. It’s been the best season of his career, and with a very dangerous game on his day, he’s definitely not your ideal first-round opponent. Andrey Rublev won this event in 2020, though, and is generally extremely reliable at winning his early matches at an event – at one point this year, he was on a 13-match win streak in opening rounds.
Prediction: Rublev in 3
Lorenzo Sonego vs Francisco Cerundolo
Head-to-head: Cerundolo 1-0
Lorenzo Sonego was the runner-up in Vienna three years ago, scoring the biggest win of his career against Novak Djokovic along the way. This year he started from the qualifying draw and actually didn’t make it through, suffering a disappointing exit to Alexandre Muller. He gets his second chance as a lucky loser and it’s a nice opportunity. Francisco Cerundolo can play indoors, and the conditions kinda don’t matter if his forehand is firing, but he’s definitely less consistent here than on clay. Sonego’s much better under the roof in general.
Prediction: Sonego in 2
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Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Dominic Thiem
Head-to-head: 5-5
We almost got this one in Antwerp last week, with Dominic Thiem losing a dramatic match to Yannick Hanfmann just before he was supposed to play Stefanos Tsitsipas. This time the draw gods decided to force them to play right away. It’s been an exciting rivalry over the years, and even the matches from 2023 were both excellent, Thiem falling in deciding set tie-breaks at Madrid and Wimbledon. He’s played some of his best tennis this year against Tsitsipas, but came up short twice.
Prediction: Tsitsipas in 3
Main Photo Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran – USA TODAY Sports
