Vienna R2 previews and predictions: Thiem vs. Verdasco, Rublev vs. Chung

Dominic Thiem will be back in action at the Erste Bank Open when he faces Fernando Verdasdco during second-round action on Thursday. Andrey Rublev and Hyeon Chung are also aiming for a place in the quarterfinals.

(1) Dominic Thiem vs. Fernando Verdasco

Thiem and Verdasco will be going head-to-head for the fifth time in their careers when they battle for a quarterfinal spot at the Erste Bank Open on Thursday. Surprisingly, Verdasco has won all four of their previous encounters–three times on clay (including at the Rome Masters this spring) and once on a hard court (2017 Paris Masters). Thiem may have been fatigued in Rome following successful campaigns in Barcelona (title) and Madrid (semifinals), so he should not be overly alarmed about his futility against the Spaniard. Home-court advantage in Austria should also help, and it certainly looked like it did during Tuesday’s 6-4, 7-6(2) victory over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

Verdasco booked his spot in the second round by overcoming Nikoloz Basilashvili 4-6, 6-2, 6-1. The world No. 40 is now looking to win multiple matches at a tournament for the first time since Wimbledon, where he reached the fourth round. In mostly disastrous form since then, Verdasco will be hard-pressed to beat Thiem for a fifth straight time.

Pick: Thiem in 2

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Hyeon Chung vs. Andrey Rublev 

Rublev vs. Chung is another tale of a surprising head-to-head series that is expected to go the other way for the first time on Thursday. Chung leads it 3-0, although two of his wins have come at the NextGen ATP Finals (both in 2017, round robin and again in the final) under what can only be considered a bizarre scoring format. Their lone meeting on the main tour also came in 2017, when the South Korean got the job done 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 at the Winston-Salem Open.

Their careers have gone in much different directions over the past two seasons. Chung has struggled mightily with injuries and finds himself down at No. 139 in the rankings as a result. He at least managed to earn his sixth ATP-level match victory of 2019 by beating a similarly hobbled Milos Raonic 6-4, 7-5 on Tuesday. Rublev has been on fire throughout the second half of the season, boasting an awesome 22-6 record in his last 28 matches after outlasting Alexander Bublik 6-1, 6-7(3), 7-6(6) on Wednesday. The 22nd-ranked Russian is likely playing way too well for an opponent who cannot be relied on to string together consecutive wins.

Pick: Rublev in 2

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