Erste Bank Open 2022: (at least) one treat every day
From today's Monday to Wednesday, Austrian tennis fans will be presented with at least one match with a local hero every day.
by Jens Huiber
last edit:
Oct 23, 2022, 11:59 pm
By Jens Huiber from Vienna
A test street is still set up in front of the Wiener Stadthalle, one could almost think that the corona pandemic has not yet been finally defeated. For the tennis fans it looks exactly like that, the anticipation for the Erste Bank Open 2022 seems to be great. This was already evident on Friday evening when queues formed at Vienna's Heumarkt and the tie-break show fight with Andrey Rublev, Taylor Fritz, etc. was actually sold out. There were not that many people who gave the last qualifying matches on Sunday.
Oscar Otte was there, but not in the version of spring 2022, where the Cologne native had reached the semifinals at the home tournaments in Munich, Stuttgart and HalleWestfalen. Otte currently does not have the self-confidence of the first half of the season after the injury break in the summer, which also affects his variable game. Thiago Monteiro knew how to use this, Otte may still slip into the 32 grid as a lucky loser.
Zverev is painfully missing from a German point of view
From the point of view of German tennis fans, this would be welcomed. Because as of now there is no black-red-gold participant in the singles grid, in doubles there are at least Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies, the two-time French Open champions at the start. "KraMies" are allowed to go right this Monday, later in the afternoon and like Otte on Sunday also at the Heumarkt. There, and that brings us to the most painfully missed player, Alexander Zverev worked once a year ago: alongside Jürgen Melzer, whose career finally came to an end after losing to John Peers and Filip Polasek.
But things are looking pretty good for the Austrians, thanks to the wildcards for Dennis Novak, Filip Misolic and Jurij Rodionov. Dominic Thiem would certainly have gotten one too, he uses his protected ranking again. The local aficionados in Vienna will definitely be served at least one performance by a local hero by Wednesday: Misolic will play against Francisco Cerundolo on Monday, Thiem and Rodionov on Tuesday against Tommy Paul and Denis Shapovalov, Novak will play Stefanos Tsitsipas on Wednesday measure, who just watched the final in Stockholm against Holger Rune.
Medvedev starts on Wednesday
Then Daniil Medvedev, who became a father a few days ago, will also enter the tournament. Medvedev is largely behind his expectations this year, only in Los Cabos was he able to distinguish himself as a tournament winner. The Russian opens against Nikoloz Basilashvili, and a win would be a treat, especially in that case, if Dominic Thiem had already prevailed against Tommy Paul on Tuesday. Because then on Thursday there is a justified suspicion that the roof of the Wiener Stadthalle will rise in the match between Thiem and Medvedev.
Here the individual tableau in Vienna
viennamap